Fundraising for London groups
This web page has been supported through a three-year project (2005 - 2008) funded by The City Bridge Trust (see 'Coming up' below) helping independent community environmental groups in London to develop their own fundraising capacity,
Sadly, the project has reached the end of its life. In this time we have dealt with over 200 requests for funding-related information or advice from over 150 groups and projects across London and been able to reach out to many more through this web page, the newsletter and various events. We have tried, by making information accessible and digestible, and by running or signposting to training courses, to help overcome barriers and demystify fundraising for those unfamiliar with it in the London community environmental movement.
BUT READ ON...! Not only is a ‘where to look for funding’ Resource List and back issues of the newsletter available to view or download (click here for links at bottom of page - or can be posted on request), but BTCV have launched NEW, IMPROVED COMMUNITY NETWORK membership benefits. Contact Leanne Cobb at BTCV head office in Doncaster on 01302 3888834 or click here to visit the Community Network pages of the main web site.
If you have funding-related enquiries particular to the London area you may contact BTCV London on 020 7278 4924 or click this button to use our online enquiry system:
BTCV is hugely grateful to the City Bridge Trust for the support that has enabled this work to take place.
SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE to visit the various sections, or use FIND (on your toolbar or press Control+F) to search for key words.
Events and Training
Some opportunities for training and support in fundraising, from basic to more advanced, and occasionally other related topics, will be shown in this section. BTCV's and our associated Environmental Trainers Network courses are also listed in the Training pages of the main BTCV website.
'Faith, Heritage and Charity'
To see a report on this successful event for community environmental groups in London which took place on 7th February 2008, click here.
'Introduction to Fundraising' and other Institute of Fundraising courses
'Introduction to Fundraising' is an accredited programme designed by the Institute of Fundraising for those new to working in fundraising or for whom it is part of their role including volunteers, trustees and service deliverers. Delegates receive a certificate of attendance if they complete the day, and will be encouraged to move on to higher level training where appropriate. Courses cost £45 and take place every 2-3 months in a central London venue. Planned dates remaining for 2008 are 29th May, 30th October and 18th December. For more information Click here and go to the London Region section. To book a place please e-mail Andy Cawdell, the trainer and Vice Chair of the London Region Institute of Fundraising committee, at andy.cawdell@dove-tail.co.uk.
Also on the IoF website you can find details of more advanced or specialised fundraising courses under 'The Fundraising Programme'. For people in or on the fringes of West/North West London, the IoF Chilterns Group is organising their annual Training Day on 22 April in Wallingford.
SAVE MONEY THE ENVIRONMENTAL WAY?
We are asking community groups across England to join us in making small changes to the way they run their groups. Small changes can make a big difference and together we can have a real impact on both our local environments and the wider world. Did you know...?
“Every day the UK produces enough waste to fill Trafalgar Square”
Community groups, clubs and society are invited to register with Every Action Counts (click here). You will receive your own Community Pack full of helpful hints and tips on how to make small environmental changes to the way you run your events and activities. With its help you are encouraged to produce an environmental action plan. This is a fun way to get people talking about their local environments and how they can help make EVERY ACTION COUNT!
For more information about the Every Action Counts Programme and BTCV involvement please contact Claire Lyon on 01302 388841 or email c.lyon@btcv.org.uk. Join us today in making the world a better and more secure place for now and for future generations
The Charityfair ‘learning experience’
Charityfair, taking place at Central Hall Westminster on 10 – 11 June 2008, describes itself as ‘the biggest and best learning experience for the voluntary sector’. With a combination of service and product stands, reasonably-priced seminars and workshops it is the ‘Ideal Homes Exhibition’ of the voluntary sector and also a great networking opportunity. There are sessions on fundraising and many other subjects relevant to groups large and small. To learn more and book online click here, or phone 08450 77 77 07.
Employee volunteering
BTCV has a vibrant programme of Employee Action Days where staff, mainly from large corporations, government departments, etc. seek to realise their social responsibilities and build team spirit whilst making a difference to the environment. If you have a site which could benefit from a large-scale, short-term volunteer input, we sometimes have opportunities. Please contact Jon Diment, Corproate Projects Officer on 020 7843 4277 or email him here.
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Funding opportunities
Entries are shown in this approximate order: 1. Closing dates within the next 2-3 months, 2. Ongoing programmes or without an obvious deadline, 3. Funders with a longer deadline, 4. Notes and tips
IMMINENT CLOSING DATES
Sustainable Food for London - LDA Small Grant Scheme
This Small Grant Scheme, expected to average £2,000 - £3,000, is funded by the London Development Agency and administered by London Food Link. The purpose of the grants is to provide an easily-accessible source of funding to: a) help people to run new sustainable food events; b) add a sustainable food element to an existing event or; c) raise awareness of sustainable food in a specific organisation or community
Click here for guidance and application form. All projects should aim to promote the messages of sustainable food (for a working definition see website) and the objectives of the London Food Strategy www.londonfoodstrategy.org.uk. Deadline 30th May 2008. See also the Lottery-funded Local Food programme below.
More food for thought - Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards
Every little helps, as Tesco offers awards of £1,500 - £5,000 if your project benefits elderly people and people with disabilities, Click here for more details or write with brief details to Tesco Charity Trust, Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Herts EN8 9SL. Tel: 01992 646768, Fax: 01992 646794. If your request fits, they will send you an application form. Closing date for elderly people and people with disabilities is 30th June, each year. Tesco run a similar funding programme for children, closing each January, and can also make vouchers available for raffles and tombola prizes.
NEW FUNDS COMING UP SOON
City Bridge Trust - 2008 grant programme due in June
The City Bridge Trust's long-awaited new programme will be launched later than expected in June 2008. Most of their previous grant schemes have now closed.
The Trust recently commenced a series of occasional publications called 'The Knowledge - Learning from London', sharing some of the experience they have gained as one of the capital's major grantmakers. The latest looks at Access to Buildings for Disabled People; the first one considered the results of a pilot study of Environmental Performance of the Voluntary Sector.
The grants programmes (old and new) and other news including the recent Sustainable City Awards can be seen, and the booklets downloaded, by clicking here.
Grass Roots Grants - new Government small grants for small, local services of all kinds. The Community Develpment Foundation has been contracted by the Government to administer it and between now and July 2008 will be allocating the money to Local Funders. Therefore, funding for grassroots community and voluntary groups will not open until after July 2008, and will be subject to their local timelines.
Access to Nature - Lottery-funded programme run by Natural England will offer large grants of between £50,000 and £500,000. Details still awaited - click here to watch for progress.
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Undated or longer-term funding
Community Spaces
Lottery-funded open scheme providing 'small' grants of between £10k and £50k and larger flagship grants,"to empower community groups to improve public spaces in their neighbourhood. It responds directly to people’s aspirations to have better places on their doorsteps – more interesting places for children to play, safer places for people of all ages to sit, greener spaces where people and nature can grow and flourish".
Full details on website here. There is a 2-stage application process. Check the criteria carefully - includes things like the site must be within 2 miles of a residential area and be open to the public most of the time (the definition of this is given!). You can also call the BIG advice line 0845 3 671 671. Successful applicants will be required to work with a facilitator.
Community Spaces is managed by Groundwork UK on behalf of a consortium of environmental organisations comprising BTCV, The Civic Trust, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, GreenSpace, Natural England and The Wildlife Trusts.
Greenprints - youth-led environmental volunteering
Are you, or are there young people in your community (16-25), who want to get together to make serious improvements to a site? BTCV, in partnership with the Wildlife Trusts and funding from the SITA Trust and ‘V’, may be able to run a one- or two-day event including up to £200 per day for local costs, or a one year event with up to £10,000 towards materials, outside help, etc. Activities must be planned and carried out by young people themselves, and the scheme will provide a mentor. For more information or to discuss possibilities, please contact the BTCV London Development Manager via the email link on this page or the enquiry/feedback form (click the Green Flash).
Local Food
A new £50 million grant scheme funded by the Big Lottery Fund and managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. opened in January. It aims to make locally grown food accessible and affordable to local communities. If you are an interested non-profit group with sound skills or a credible business plan, you need to work tbrough the eligibility questionnaire on the website at www.localfoodgrants.org/. See also the LDA Small Grant Scheme, above.
The Big Boost - fizzled out!
The Lottery-funded scheme to award 11 to 25 year-olds, who have ideas that will benefit the community, has come to an end. If a group of young people want help realising an environmental project, see Greenprints above.
Sky Bigger Picture Fund
Sky offers a grant of between £250 and £3,000 to charities and organisations that work with young people. It will focus on supporting small organisations, local to their main offices with the aim that a variety of grants can have a big impact on small organisation. Your project must fit into one of 4 categories: ‘Building Arts’, ‘Healthier Environment’, ‘Inspiring Learning’ or ‘Including Everyone’. It must cover at least 25% of the total cost of the project you are applying for, and your organisation's annual income must not be more than £75,000 gross. If you've already had two or more grants from Sky in the last year you'll need to wait two years before reapplying. Note, there are other strict exclusions too.
The scheme covers groups in Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent, Lambeth, Hounslow, Wandsworth and City of Westminster. Other London boroughs will be considered if endorsed by an employee of Sky who volunteers with the project. These applications must be accompanied by a cover letter/email from the Sky employee.
Panel meets 5 times a year. Details and application form on website or for email queries click here.
People’s Millions
Let’s have a change from small grants and move your project into the real limelight! The Big Lottery has teams up again with ITV for the fourth in a series of annual competitions to give out funding to projects that will improve the environment – the buildings, amenities, public and green spaces and the natural environment. Last year awards totalling £6.4 million were made to 90 local projects right across the UK. This year they will make grants of up to £50,000 each (plus VAT where applicable). If you entered in previous years and were not successful, you will need to submit a brand new entry. Shortlisted competition entries will be shown on local TV and viewers from that region will have a direct say – by non-premium rate phone voting – on which of them will get a grant. Download guidance notes from here. Amongst the winners of the last round was Meanwhile Gardens in North Kensington, with £80,000.
Kelloggs Active Living Fund
Here’s something to read over your cornflakes - this fund will give small grants to projects and activities that directly lead to people taking part in sustained physical activity. The aim of the fund is to help remove the “barriers” which stop people being active. Click here for details and online application – read the ‘Can I apply’ criteria very carefully first (owing to high level of requests, projects involving families and children together are current priority). A panel meets bimonthly to assess applications.
Bright Ideas with Age Concern
The Bright Ideas grants programme offers grants of up to £2,000 towards new or expanding services or activities which directly benefit older people. Open to most voluntary organisations that have a turnover of less than £200,000 per annum. Grants may be given for a wide range of activities, where older people themselves are actively involved in planning and running the project. Applications are assessed monthly until July 2008. For further information Click here.
Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation
The Trust donates money towards education, youth, communities, environment, health and wellbeing. The grants range between £200 and £5,000 and are given to registered charities only, which includes UK schools. No application forms - applicants should write an explanatory letter to: Dr Brian Martin, Director, Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation, 20 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6LH Tel: 020 7408 2198 Fax: 020 7499 5859
O2 "It's Your Community" relaunched!
Awards of up to £1,000 available to local groups and individuals for tools, equipment, materials etc. Local amenity groups, parish and village councils, schools, youth clubs, heritage groups, environmental and conservation groups, and individuals who can show that their project will benefit the local environment, can apply.
Application is only via the new dedicated website at Its Your Community or contact The Conservation Foundation, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR, tel. 0207 591 3111.
The Wakeham Trust
Small grants of £75 - £750 to help people rebuild their communities. Particularly interested in neighbourhood projects, community arts, community service by young people, or projects set up by those who are socially excluded. They favour small projects - often, but not always, start-ups, and prefer online applications. Rolling programme with no deadlines. Click here for website and read guidelines and exclusions carefully.
BTCV Chestnut Fund
The Chestnut Fund is a small independent charity administered through BTCV, offering Start Up Grants up to £100 and Support Grants up to £300. It is aimed at BTCV Community Network Groups (although there is no automatic entitlement to a grant) and those intending to join. London area applications must be sent to the London Development Manager, who will clarify any details with you before finally submitting to the Fund. See Community Network pages for further information.
Grants for Trees
Click here for The Royal Forestry Society's comprehensive online list of all funding available for trees. The Society's main site is a forest of information about every aspect of trees.
LANDFILL COMMUNITY FUND
A national scheme funded by tax levied on waste dumped into landfill. These are the main ones in the London area but projects must be publicly accessible, within a specified radius of an operator’s location or any landfill site (usually 5-10 miles), and may require 10% matched funding:
Biffawards Small Grants scheme 2007 to enable groups to improve the quality of life in their community. Includes wildlife and habitat conservation, informal education, and access to sport, culture or recreation. No deadline this year. For details tel: 0870 036 1000, fax: 0870 036 0101, website www.biffaward.org or click here for email. There is an online site locator you can use to check project eligibility.
Veolia Environmental Trust Wide range of environmental categories and levels of funding, The Veolia Environmental Trust, Ruthdene, Station Road, Four Ashes, Wolverhampton WV10 7DG. Tel: 01902 794677,fax: 01902 794646. Click here for more details via the website or here to email. Rolling deadlines for Board meetings every 3-4 months.
SITA Trust Small Grants for range of projects up to £10,000. To check eligible locations by postcode call 01454 262910. For grant details call 01454 262910, fax: 01454 269090, Click here to email or see website at www.sitatrust.org.uk/. There is a cycle of deadlines every 1-2 months.
Abolition Anniversary
To mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, Awards for All and other Lottery grant distributors are offering special funding and online resources to projects which aim to participate in marking the occasion. I mention it here as some groups have been considering memorial gardens or features on their sites. Visit the special web site www.abolition200.org.uk
Charles Hayward Foundation - small grant scheme
Grants up to £5,000 available to organisations with a turnover of less than £250,000, for activities fitting their main funding categories including purchase of land or reclamation of recently purchased land to be used for nature reserves or inner-city gardens, parks etc., where these will be maintained in perpetuity – but with odd exclusions such as ‘endangered species, conservation of gardens and environmental conservation’, so for full details contact the Administrator, Hayward House, 45 Harrington Gardens, London SW7 4JU. Tel 020-7370-7063/7067 or visit the website here. Applications should be made in writing (there is no form or online facility).
Co-operative Community Dividend
Grants of £100 - £5,000 are offered to groups, including those with an environmental focus, which benefit a community in which at least one Co-operative Group business trades (you may be surprised how many are but do not use the name). You must meet certain principles and there are exclusions (e.g. improvements to property not owned by, or leased to, the applicant for a period less than 15 years). Explanatory booklets and application forms are available at most Co-operative outlets, and for advice call 0800 0686 727. There is no deadline.
Barclays Does It!
Barclays Bank has launched Lets Do It Community Awards, offering the chance of a first prize of £1,000 and second of £500 for groups who can convince them they are really making a difference. The Awards are only offered through newspaper companies, so watch your local rag for announcements and a simple application form. Closing dates may vary. The Barclays website just gives the wider picture of their community programmes, not details of local schemes.
Jack Petchey Foundation
The Foundation, established in 1999, gives grants to programmes and projects that help young people aged 11 – 25 to take advantage of opportunities and play their full part in society. Achievement Award Scheme - over £2.5 million is allocated each year, to enable schools/colleges/youth clubs etc to recognise the effort and achievement of young people in a practical and positive way. The scheme provides additional funds for schools/colleges and youth clubs - worth £3,000-£4,000 a year including the Leader Award. Project Grants - normally between £500 and £250,000 and the projects must benefit young people aged 11-25. Programmes also include Sponsorship. You can apply if you are a Registered Charity or a group with charitable purposes in London or Essex. Application details can be found on the Jack Petchey Foundation website, or contact The Jack Petchey Foundation, Exchange House, 13-14 Clements Court, Clements Lane, Ilford IG1 2QY. Tel 020 8252 8000, fax 020 8477 1088, email mail@jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk or click here to visit the website.
Church cuts the Mustard…
The Church Urban Fund wants to hear from churches and faith-based groups that want to turn their ideas into action. The ‘Mustard Seed’ programme makes grants up to £5,000 considered via a rolling programme with no deadlines. Grants, which are made for one year only, can pay for specific activities but not ongoing revenue expenditure, and should represent the major part of the funding required. Click here for guidance or phone Brian Reeh on 020 7898 1649.
…now raise some dough!
Make up for all those calories burned off in your healthy green activities by reselling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! The company will supply doughnuts at a substantial discount via a local store, subject to conditions including proof of non-profit status, minimum order requirements and recommended resell prices. You can also buy vouchers redeemable for a dozen ‘Original Glazed’ by your customers at Krispy Kreme stores. Click here to indulge in this irresistible offer!
Eco-Schools
There are thousands of schools across the country and the world working towards Eco-Schools status. Is yours one? By following the programme, your school will become a more stimulating place in which to learn, whilst reducing the environmental impact of the whole school on the community. There are grants and other resources available - click here to find out more.
Heritage Lottery Fund
Your Heritage provides grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 to support community-focused heritage projects and Young Roots (£5,000 to £25,000) aims to involve 13-20 year-olds (up to 25 for those with special needs) in finding out about their heritage, developing skills, building confidence and promoting community involvement. Currently, there is no deadline. Contact the HLF if you need any further guidance: Helpline 9:30am - 5:30pm Mondays to Fridays 020 7591 6000, Fax: 020 7591 6271 or click here to visit the website.
Awards for All
The Big Lottery's very accessible small grants scheme with an upper limit of £10,000. Click here to visit the A4A website.
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Community Groups Event
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More than 60 people attended the ‘Faith, Heritage and Charity’ community groups networking event held at Avenue House in Finchley on 7th February. Many took the opportunity of a guided tour of the estate, landscaped by the Victorian garden designer Robert Marnock, with its original features and vast range of trees including many rare specimens.
Manager Janett Durrant described its journey from when it was bequeathed to the public in the 1918 by Henry ‘Inky’ Stephens, son of the inventor of the famous blue-black ink, through municipal neglect to its recent transformation under community control despite the huge fundraising challenges it continues to face. Ben Donaldson of London Waste added the success of a composting scheme which recycles locally-collected green waste back into the grounds.
BTCV’s regional Operations Director Kate McKenzie opened the event and introduced speakers Cath Leverseidge of the Biffaward Landfill Community Fund programme, Russell Darbon from the Big Lottery, and Libby Symon of the Conservation Foundation about the 02 ‘Its Your Community‘ fund. A choice of workshops allowed interested participants to go into more detail about the Lottery or Landfill schemes, to cope better with application forms, or to share fundraising experiences.
Naomi Arnold of the BBC Breathing Places (‘a place for wildlife, a place for people’) described the campaign’s aim of inspiring action through bringing together broadcasting, audiences and nature, and gave a foretaste of this year’s planned TV coverage and how projects could register and benefit.
Muslim and Sikh environmental activists spoke of the environmental messages in their religious traditions and how their respective communities might be encouraged to engage with and support local activity: Muzammal Hussain said “The essence of the faith is often forgotten in all faiths - social order should reflect the harmony of the natural order”, and explained that the London Islamic Network for the Environment is open to all, encouraging face to face interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It campaigns generally and reaches out to mosques on the issue of climate change.
Jagdeesh Singh spoke of a ‘Sikh environmental spirit’ which regards the Earth as our provider and its elements as sacred gifts of nature. The Sikh Environment Network is spreading the environmental message across the Sikh community and engages with and supports individual champions when institutions are resistant to fresh thinking.
Organiser David Strachan, BTCV London Development Manager, says the feedback shows that the event was a great success and expressed gratitude for the support of Alara Wholefoods (manufacturer of organic muesli and champion of ethical, ‘green’ business) and Belu (provider of ‘carbon-neutral water’ in compostable bottles), and for the co-operation of Avenue House and other local Barnet organisations.
This is what some of the participants said - “Great day – well done!” “Most informative and helpful” “Excellent event! Full of content, very well organised” “Thank you for a really positive day with a great opportunity to network with other groups and learn best practice” “...Next year, could we have a one-day conference?”
To encourage return of evaluation sheets after the event, a prize was offered to the author of a randomly-selected (by Helen, our London Office Administrator - thank you!) form: Charlotte Martin of Mill Lane Gardening Project won a copy of the BTCV 'Environments for All Handbook' (worth £15.99). Thank you Charlotte and everyone else who completed a form - your feedback is very valuable.
Notes, tips and reviews
Local Authorities
Most local Councils have some sort of small grant scheme but each will have different priorities, amounts and deadlines and may be run by different departments. Some are funded by Central Government programmes, two of which are ending soon - Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chests and Learning Chests - although there may be some alternatives following the Chancellor's recent pre-Budget statement. You might find details on their websites - www.(nameofborough).gov.uk - if you are lucky, but they are wildly inconsistent as to where they list them, if they list them at all.
A better way of discovering out what is available locally is to contact your Council of Voluntary Service. Most (although not all) boroughs have a CVS and they often go under different names, e.g. 'Voluntary Action' or 'Social Services Council'. They are independent organisations set up to represent and support local voluntary action and are not to be confused with the elected local authority! To find your local CVS click here.
TIP - being green is people!
The funders shown are not exclusively 'green', as environmental groups and projects may be involved in a huge range of activities with all sorts of benefits to the public in general or particular sections such as young people, older people, people from cultural or ethnic communities, people with disabilities, young mothers, unemployed people, etc.
So don't just think about what your project is physically (a community garden, allotment project, woodland, etc.), but who benefits from it and look for funders that may be interested in a matching social need.
'Its Our Space'
A guide, published by CABEspace, for community groups working to improve public space. Excellent reading with a good balance of technical vs comprehensible information, and will be invaluable to any community project with a vision which it needs to turn into reality or needing a reality check for developed plans. Click here to download or order a free printed copy.
SEEKING MORE FUNDING INFORMATION?
These are just a few selected, current opportunities for funding and training. Do get in touch if you would like more information, using the online facility, and please fill in our feedback form if you haven't done so already. BTCV London is also interested in discussing joint projects and funding applications with other organisations.
The information given above is derived, with thanks, from a variety of sources and whilst every effort is made to ensure it is accurate and up to date, it is intentionally brief so we advise checking directly before making an application.
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Funding Newsletters
Click on the link to download a newsletter (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader). If you can't open it online or print it, and would like a copy posted to you or emailed (as a PDF or Word document), or you would like to be included on the email list for notification of future issues and other information about BTCV's help for community groups in London, please contact the London Development Manager.