Applications Open for Common Call Fund Program

Deadline: 25-Jun-21

Applications are now open for the Common Call Fund Program to redress the lack of resources, skills, and tools that inequality of resource allocation metes upon the Black community in the UK.

Through the provision of funding and wrap-around support, they will empower Black people building organisations that have been negatively affected by the COVID crisis to engage actively and beneficially in the communities in which they live.

Black-led organisations are often unable to access the amount of funding that is needed to carry out great pieces of work that will create a transformative impact on underserved communities around the country because they have limited track record of finance or funds management. Through Common Call CORE, they can support them and give them a better chance to continue their services and navigate this crisis.

Funding Information

They are offering unrestricted grants of £5,000 OR £12,500
Organisations operating for longer than a year. From your website, social media and other means they should be able to see that you have been operating in your community for longer than a 12 month period.
Unregistered organisations and sole traders will also only be able to apply for £5,000. For organisations applying for £12,500 you will need to be a constituted organisation. In addition to that, you will need to have brought in or be on target to bring in a minimum of £30k in the past 12 months.

What’s on offer?

Black-led charities and social enterprises working in communities across the UK will be able to apply for a grant package of £5,000 or £12,500 to help them:

Get better informed about their options (moving to new methods of delivery) post-COVID19.
Develop new enterprising activities and earned income strategies.
Test the viability of specific propositions.
Develop clear implementable action plans for such activity.

Eligibility Criteria

This fund is for UK based organisations led by people that identify as Black or Mixed with Black. They will be prioritising organisations that have a place-based approach. They are also prioritising organisations led by people with lived experience of the problem they are trying to solve and they are determined to ensure each of the organisations they fund has developed a plan for how the funding will lead to the sustainability of their organisation over the next year.
?They are specifically looking for organisations that are creating impact in underserved communities and providing services to people that have been adversely affected by the COVID crisis in terms of physical health, mental health and/or financial sustainability. The people you support should primarily be people that identify as Black or Mixed with Black.
The fund is open to both registered and unregistered organisations based in the UK and working in support of Black communities.

Other key Criteria

Organisations operating for longer than a year. From your website, social media and other means they should be able to see that you have been operating in your community for longer than a 12 month period.
Note that unregistered organisations or sole traders MUST have to have a separate bank account dedicated to the work they are doing in the community.
Unregistered organisations and sole traders will also only be able to apply for £5,000. For organisations applying for £12,500 you will need to be a constituted organisation. In addition to that, you will need to have brought in or be on target to bring in a minimum of £30k in the past 12 months.
Common Call is only open to Black led organisations. They define this as 50% of your leadership team (inclusive of your Board, if you have one) identifies as Black or Mixed with Black. They are also looking to support organisations and community projects that have a specific focus on providing support and resources to people that identify as Black or mixed with Black.
They prize lived experience and will only be funding your organisation if 50% of their leadership team (inclusive of your Board, if you have one) has lived experience of the problem you are trying to solve.
They would not be able to fund organisations with an annual turnover above £500,000.

When it comes to supporting registered or unregistered organisations, please note the following: