Have we helped your group get funding in the past year? We regularly provide reviews and feedback on funding application and help with getting ‘fit for funding’ to charities and community groups in Milton Keynes. If your group has received funding partly as a result of our help, we’d love to hear from you so we can celebrate your success!

Please email us or call 01908 661623.


Grants
Cancer support

Macmillan cancer support offers a range of grants to support groups or individuals dealing with cancer:

  • Start up funds for new self-help and support projects
  • Development funds to support the ongoing activities and development of self-help and support projects
  • User Involvement Grants to encourage the involvement of people affected by cancer in the design and improvement of cancer services.
  • Individual Development Grants for people affected by cancer to develop their skills and use their cancer experience to help support others affected by cancer.

They are open to individuals or groups of people affected by cancer, as well as professionals working in partnership with people affected.

Deadline: is 30th October

Website


Support for refugees

UnLtd are offering grants  for social enterprises with ideas to tackle the emerging challenges faced by local authorities, churches, mosques and charities, in integrating people fleeing conflict, including:

  • organising & managing accommodation for those who need it; whether in private homes or unused spaces
  • collecting, restore and distribute clothing and furniture;
  • interpretation and English language learning opportunities;
  • organising meaningful voluntary experiences that can help integrate people

Amount: up to £5,000

Website 


Arts-based Learning Fund

The Arts-based Learning ‘explore and test’ grants from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation are to help test new approaches or gather evidence for the first time about approaches that have been used before.Grants  will support arts organisations working with schools to improve the evidence base for their work, so that they can do more to enhance the lives, development and achievements of children and young people.

Amount: up to £60,000

Deadline: 2nd November

Website


The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust

Grants are available to help disabled people in the UK to play tennis through the purchase of wheelchairs, tennis equipment and grants for coaching.

Amount: £ 1,500

Deadline: 3rd November

Website


Nominet Trust

Grants are available for organisations to carry out UK-based or international projects that use digital technology to improve the lives of the disadvantaged and vulnerable and to strengthen communities.

Deadline: 4th November

Website


Triangle Trust 1949 Fund

Funding for charities, not-for-profit social enterprises and community interest companies in the UK that are working to support unpaid carers or the rehabilitation of offenders or ex-offenders.

Amount: up to  £ 120,000

Deadline: 5th November

Website


Rowing

The Rowing Foundation (boats, not shouting at each other) gives grants to help organisations and clubs promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages.

Amount:  £500-£3,000

Deadline: 9th November

Website


The Community Radio Fund

The Community Radio Fund helps fund the core costs of running community radio stations. These are not-for-profit radio stations who involve their community in running the service.

The fund will cover functions such as: fundraising to support the station (e.g. grants, commercial funding); management; administration; financial management & reporting; community outreach; volunteer organisation and support

Amount: up to £14,000.

Deadline: Wednesday 11th November

Website


 Public Engagement Large Awards Scheme

The Science and Technology Facilities Council offers grants for projects publicising engagement or teaching about science and technology.

Amount: £10,000 to £100,000

Deadline: Wednesday 11th November.

Website


Quaker Housing Trust
 The Quaker Housing Trust give grants and interest-free loans as one-off funding for capital cost items of expenditure to housing organisations. These include:
  • buying, building, converting, renovating or refurbishing property.
  • expanding an existing housing project.
  • making a housing project ‘greener’.
  • smaller practical things which turn a house into a home.

Amount: up to £30,000.

Deadline: 13th November

Website


 Heritage Lottery Fund: Places of worship

A  fund for urgent structural repairs to Grade I, II* and II listed places of worship in England. As part of the repair project, it can also fund improvements to facilities and work that helps more people get involved with the buildings.

Amount: £10,000 to £250,000

Deadline: 17th November

Website


 The Peter de Haan Charitable Trust

Grants for environmental projects. They expect to make a few substantial grants to three-year projects, covering the following themes:

  • peatland restoration
  • skills development and training
  • advocacy
  • technical support

Amount: up to £50,000

Deadline: 30th November

Website


Improving the environment

Grow Wild is awarding funding to community groups that want to bring people together to transform a communal space by sowing and growing UK native plants. They are looking to fund at least 60 groups across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Amount: £1,000 to £4,000

Deadline: 1 December 2015

Website


Funderbirds

Funds projects which empower and support women attempting to redress social inequality. Aim is to fund projects that will work towards creating self reliance, safety and well-being for women.

Website


AB Charitable Trust

ABCT supports registered charities working where human dignity is imperilled and where there are opportunities for human dignity to be affirmed. Applications are particularly welcomed from charities working to support: refugees and asylum seekers, prisoners, older people and people with mental health problems.

Website


Lankelly Chase Foundation

Exists to bring about change that will transform the quality of life of people who face severe and multiple disadvantage, such as homelessness, substance misuse, mental and physical illness, extreme poverty, and violence and abuse. Focusing on work that promotes people’s voice, power and rights and systemic change.

Website


Pilgrim Trust: Social Welfare programme

Aims to break cycles of dependency and to help develop a sense of social inclusion in disadvantaged or marginalised groups. Grants concentrate on projects that support people who misuse drugs and alcohol (including substance misusers with complex social needs, eg domestic violence, care for children, prostitution, or homelessness) and projects that seek to reduce the use of custody for women (including work with women with extreme vulnerabilities which are likely to lead to offending and projects that seek to support women who are leaving custody and that assist them to reintegrate with society and their families).

Website


Breakfast Clubs – training and grants package

Free online training to help you run a successful breakfast club.  Your breakfast club must already be set up and based in a school or community organisation and help disadvantaged children. Breakfast clubs who have successfully completed the training will be eligible to be assessed for further support from Kellogg’s, in the form of a sustainability grant

Amount: £400.

Website


Weavers’ Company Benevolent Fund: Disadvantaged young people

The Weavers’ Company Benevolent Fund’s priorities are helping disadvantaged young people (5-30 year-olds) and offenders and ex-offenders, particularly those under 30 years of age.

Amount: up to £15,000

Website


Bromley Trust

Aims to; Combat violations of human rights and help victims of torture, refugees from oppression and those who have been falsely imprisoned; to help those who have suffered severe bodily or mental hurt through no fault of their own and if need be help their dependents; to try in some small way to offset man’s inhumanity to man; promote Prison Reform within the United Kingdom with particular emphasis on the reduction of re-offending

Website


Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Fund to help improve people’s perceptions of each other by providing opportunities through culture and between cultures, to assist the most disadvantaged in society to fulfil their potential by building connections and developing opportunities and the development of a society which benefits from a more sustainable relationship with the natural world and understands the value of its resources.

Website


Co-operative Membership Community Fund

Awarded to community, voluntary, or self-help groups. To be successful, a group must carry out positive work in the community and a project must: address a community issue; provide a good long-term benefit to the community; support co-operative values and principles ideally be innovative in its approach.

Amount:  £100 to  £2,000

Website


Paul Hamlyn Foundation Ideas and Pioneers Fund

to support people who have an idea with unusual promise to improve the life chances and opportunities of individuals and communities in the UK.Grants are available to help people develop an initial idea through to making it happen.

Website


News

Grow Your Tenner 2014

Grow Your Tenner 2015 is now live!

MK Community Foundation are matching one-time donations pound-for-pound up to £10, and monthly donations up to £10 per month for 3 months*. All charities with active Localgiving memberships are eligible to receive up to a maximum of £10,000 of match funding and the campaign will run across the whole of the UK.

With Gift Aid, a one-time donation of £10 made through Localgiving.com during Grow Your Tenner will generate £21.67** , so make sure you spread the word and start growing those tenners.

End date: When the fund runs out or Wednesday the 18th November at 5pm.

Click here for more information.


MK Community Foundation Car Raffle

MK Community Foundation invites local community groups to join this year’s Charity Car Raffle, between 26 October and 8 January.  Last year local groups and charities raised over £30,000 for their causes. 

Groups can sell tickets to friends, family, colleagues and the wider community and also sell tickets with the VW car in the centre:mk (within a pre-booked time slot).  Businesses can also sell tickets.  To find out more please email Julia Shepherd, or call 01908 690276.


Carrier bags

The new rules coming in about carrier bags from supermarkets costing 5p mean that the more public spirited companies will be looking for good causes to donate their windfalls to.Tesco customers will get the chance to vote for projects in their own local areas. The company expects to support around 2,500 different projects after just one year with grants ranging from £8,000 to £12,000.It will fund things like building new pocket parks, sports facilities, woodland walks and community gardens. Customers can nominate local good causes; nominations will be whittled down to three good causes that customers can choose from to vote for in each area. Administration of the local funding will be handled by environmental improvement charity Groundwork. For more information click here.

First Steps Enterprise Fund

First Steps Enterprise Fund is a scheme run by Social Investment Business and the Asda Foundation. £300,000 is initially available for loan/grant packages up to £30,000. No more than 10% will be a grant.Charities and social enterprises working in communities in England can apply for investment to help them grow their services and become more sustainable.Deadline for applications is noon Friday 11 December 2015. Click here for details.

Facebook can help

It is now possible to add a ‘Donate now’ button to your Facebook page.  Click here to find out more.


O2 Think Big

A scheme for individual young people, Think Big aims to inspire, support and enable young people (13-25 year olds) with great ideas; so they can have an impact on society while getting the hands on experience and skills they need to thrive in today’s digital world. Young people can access funding, up to £300 initially, as well as training and support. Projects have to help the community or tackle a problem with society.The deadline:11th November. Click here for more information.

 More veterans funding

HM Treasury has allocated £5 million a year, for five years to the Aged Veterans Fund. It is to fund projects aimed specifically at supporting older veterans who may require additional support in health and social care.

They will make grants up to £1 million, and are particularly keen to see partnership applications. The lead body must be a charity or community interest company (CIC) able to deliver work nationally or regionally. Partners in the bid must be constituted bodies at least three years old.Deadline this year is 21st September 2015 for expressions of interest. For full details click here.


 Could community shares help get your project off the ground?

Community shares can raise significant funds to get community projects off the ground by offering your community a chance to own shares in your organisation.

But community shares are about more than financial investment; every person who buys shares gets a vote in how your organisation is run. Community ownership means you gain dedicated investors and advocates who want the project to succeed. Click here for more information


Training and events

 Do you use social media in your fundraising?

Wednesday 4th November 9.30 – 12.30

South Yorkshire Community Foundation, Unit 3 – G1 Building, 6 Leeds Rd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S9 3TY

Beginner

£40.00 per person

This training session explores how social media can be used in your fundraising and to engage with potential donors.This session will give you some you tips on how social media could work for your organisation. Click here for full event details


 Individual donations

Thursday 12th November 9.30 – 3.00

Clifton Court, Clifton Street, Sheffield, S9 2DQ

£80.00 per person (includes lunch and refreshments)

According to the Charities Aid Foundation ‘Why we give’ report, the average Briton gives away £10 a month to good causes – but many people give far more than that amount!

This session provides participants with a chance to consider different methods of raising money from individualsfor their projects, includes considering online giving platforms, Gift Aid and running lotteries and quiz type activities at events.Participants will explore how to collect money from individuals that are appropriate to the work of their group,organisational capacity, and to help widen their funding base. Click here for full event details


Diversify your income explores different potential sources of income.

Wednesday 2nd December, 9.30 – 12.30
South Yorkshire Community Foundation, Unit 3 – G1 Building, 6 Leeds Rd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S9 3TY

Cost: £40.00 per person

This interactive session helps you outline a plan for how to get funding from each of the sources appropriate for your project and capacity.This session will help you:

• Identify funding sources appropriate for your organisation
• Outline a plan to get funding from each of the sources appropriate for your project and capacity
• Discuss the purpose of a fundraising strategy
• Begin drawing up a fundraising strategy for your project.

This session is aimed at those new to creating and using a fundraising strategy, or those who have some experience but would like the space to reflect on their understanding.

Click here for more information