Access to Resilience Programme – United Kingdom

Deadline: 04-Jul-2024

Access to Resilience is offering grants to organisations that provide capacity building support to small VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) groups in Northern Ireland.

This programme is supported with money from Dormant Assets NI. Dormant Assets NI is an expansion of the Dormant Accounts Fund NI.

This programme aims to address the gaps in the Dormant Assets investment to date. They want to fund support organisations – sometimes known as network, umbrella, membership or community anchor organisations. They want these organisations to improve access to the help they provide to small, underrepresented VCSE groups in Northern Ireland.

Funding Information

• Support organisations will reduce barriers and increase access to the support they offer for small VCSE groups, with an annual income of around £10,000 up to £100,000.

They can fund?

• Under the Access to Resilience programme they will fund projects that help small underrepresented VCSE groups improve their capacity, sustainability and resilience. Activities might include increasing skills in:
  • financial planning and budgeting
  • project management
  • good governance
  • diversity and inclusion
  • digital skills
  • impact measurement
  • strategic planning
  • volunteer management
  • collaboration
  • leadership
  • succession planning.

They cannot fund?

• core capacity building or support programmes for the wider voluntary and community sector. This funding is to improve access to support for underrepresented community groups who are not currently receiving capacity building support
• you to give grants to other organisations
• applicants who are unable to demonstrate sound governance and financial management
• capacity building or support programmes for religious institutions like churches, synagogues and mosques. However, capacity building for faith-based community groups is eligible.

Eligibility Criteria

• This funding is for organisations who provide capacity building support to other VCSE groups.
• To apply you must be a:
  • support organisation
  • network organisation
  • membership organisation
  • umbrella body
  • community anchor organisation
  • established organisation that has a history of providing capacity building support to other groups.
• You must also be a:
  • unregistered voluntary or community organisation
    • An organisation set up with a governing document – like a constitution. But is not a registered charity or company. If you get funding they’d expect you to incorporate or become registered with a regulator (For example, the Charity Commission or CIC regulator).
  • not-for-profit company
    • A company limited by guarantee – registered with Companies House. And might also be registered as a charity.
  • registered charity (unincorporated)
    • A voluntary or community organisation that’s a registered charity. But is not a company registered with Companies House.
  • Community Interest Company (CIC).
    • A company registered with Companies House. And the Community Interest Company (CIC) Regulator.
• You must support underrepresented VCSE groups
  • You should use this funding to support smaller VCSE groups with an annual income of around £10,000 up to £100,000.
• The groups you support must focus on representing the needs of one of the following:
  • older people
  • disabled people
  • women
  • ethnically minoritised people
  • faith-based communities
  • LGBTQ+ people
  • rural communities.
• You can apply if you’re a generalist or a specialist support organisation
  • You might be a generalist support organisation that helps a diverse range of VCSE groups. Your aim might be to improve access to underrepresented VCSE groups who are not currently benefiting from your support.
  • Or you might be a specialist support organisation that already specialises in helping underrepresented VCSE groups. Your aim might be to get more resources to meet the needs of these groups.
• If you’re a generalist support organisation
  • They expect you to:
    • identify the sector of one of the underrepresented VCSE groups you want to improve access to – for example, women’s groups, older people’s groups, disabled people’s groups, rural groups
    • collaborate with groups from that sector to work out what those groups need – for example, a women’s group, disabled people’s group etc.
    • improve access to your services by designing or delivering them in a different way that encourages and supports participation
    • use diagnostic tools (or other methods) to assess the skills and capabilities of the groups you’ll support – find out more about diagnostic tools
    • measure the impact of the support you give to each group.
• If you’re a specialist support organisation
  • They expect you to:
    • Tell them which sector of under represented VCSE groups you specialise in e.g. women’s groups, rural groups etc.
    • improve access to your services for groups that support people – for example, by delivering them in a different way that encourages and supports participation
    • use diagnostic tools (or other methods) to assess the skills and capabilities of the groups you’ll support – find out more about diagnostic tools
    • measure the impact of the support you give to each group.

Ineligible

• They cannot accept applications from:
  • organisations that do not develop the skills, capacity and resilience of other VCSE groups
  • individuals
  • sole traders
  • religious institutions – like churches, synagogues and mosques (although faith-based community groups are eligible to apply)
  • organisations based outside Northern Ireland
  • companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
  • statutory organisations
  • schools
  • one organisation applying on behalf of another.

For more information, visit The National Lottery Community Fund.