Tower Hamlets Council Small Grants Fund: Access & Participation (UK)

Deadline: 15-Aug-22

The East End Community Foundation (EECF) is inviting applications for its Tower Hamlets Council Small Grants Fund: Access & Participation which aim to support voluntary and community sector groups which are trusted by their communities to provide support, referral and informal advocacy services, connecting residents to the services that might best meet their needs and provide wider intelligence on the needs of their community.

The Fund is seeking to support activities that will enable community groups to act as a source of information and signposting and also activities that will help small organisations act as informed advocates on behalf of the communities they represent.

The purpose of this theme is to support voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups which are trusted by their communities to provide support, referral and informal advocacy services, connecting residents to the services that might best meet their needs and provide wider intelligence on the needs of their community.

Funding Information

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for projects taking place for up to 12-months, with a potential extension for a second year.
Extension funding will be awarded following a submission of monitoring and evaluation information and positive assessment of the project.

What They Will Fund?

You can apply for funding to cover project activities and staffing, running costs related to the project, as well as small-scale refurbishment and the purchase of any equipment you need. They can fund a mix of project activities, operating costs, organisational development and capital costs. However, the core aims, and outcomes of the project must link directly to the Access and Participation Theme.

Eligibility Criteria

The Access and Participation Theme will only support organisations which can show that at least 50% of their trustees/committee/board members are from BAME communities
Organisations with an annual turnover in excess of £250,000 are not eligible to apply to this theme and priority will be given to organisations with a turnover of less than £50,000 per annum.
The fund is open to all voluntary and community organisations. These are defined as;
- Registered charities
- Community groups
- Community associations
- Tenants and residents’ groups
- Green spaces friends’ groups
- Co-operatives and social enterprises
- School/parent groups which are independent of the schools they work with
- Faith organisations
- Sports, environmental, arts and heritage organisations
- Grant making trusts
- Housing associations
- Un-constituted groups of residents working together to make a difference in their local communities
They cannot accept applications from;
- For-profit organisations
- Individuals seeking funding for personal benefit, or sole traders
- Organisations based outside the UK