Deadline: 29-Sep-23
The Commonweal Housing is inviting front-line organisations to come forward with imaginative and original ideas for housing solutions to tackle injustices affecting vulnerable individuals in contact with the criminal justice system.
Commonweal Housing is an independent social justice charity working to investigate, pilot and champion housing-based solutions to social injustice. By using the charitable resources, Commonweal provides experts and partner organisations the opportunity to trial and test new approaches designed to enhance housing equality and justice through property-based pilot projects.
They offer small-scale funding to enable you to undertake a feasibility study into the viability of a property-based pilot project. Since launching three years ago, they have successfully supported a number of partners through the feasibility stage, with many now entering the project development process.
This year the focus is on the criminal justice system only.
What are they looking for?
- Imaginative ideas to tackle social injustice:
- This idea must be a housing-based solution which could be piloted to address an identifiable social injustice.
- The proposed solution can be at any early stage of its lifecycle: from initial lightbulb ideas that you want to develop in conversation with us, or a fully mapped out scheme that you feel is ready to go. However, applicants should not be seeking funding and support for a project that currently exists, they want to build the projects with you.
- The proposed solution doesn’t need to be complete – the initial feasibility stage is intended to explore whether or not the solution is feasible financially, operationally, and in terms of likelihood of addressing the social injustice.
- The idea should be imaginative– this could be around the delivery of the project itself or the client group, who may be previously overlooked – but they urge all applicants to research the existing housing-based projects currently rolled out in the UK that support their particular client group.
- They are especially welcoming applications from BAME-led and BAME-focused organisations.
- A committed, qualified and enthusiastic partner organisation:
- Partners must be a not-for-profit organisation.
- Partners need to be able to demonstrate their understanding of the issue they are seeking to address – they are looking for partners who will ‘own the problem and own the solution’ in terms of a commitment to see positive change.
- If the feasibility study determines that the idea is suitable for a full pilot project, they will need the partner organisation to evidence they will have capacity to deliver the model. Partners should be aware that Commonweal’s goal is to evaluate the project, share the learning and, where possible, seek replication. They want potential partners that are committed to this goal.
- Partners should be committed to engaging with Commonweal, independent evaluators, and any social investors throughout the development and learning of a pilot project. This should include a commitment to supporting tenants to engage in this process too. There should be a commitment throughout the organisation to delivering long-term solutions through your project.
Funding Information
- As part of the feasibility study, they are able to offer applicants funding to undertake their research. This can be used to fund internal or external research. Typically, this grant funding is offered to all successful applicants at a range between £5,000-10,000. However, they do ask that you demonstrate the rationale for the amount of money you require. They do not have an unlimited budget, and therefore will have an eye on value for money projects.
Grant Benefits
- Support during the feasibility phase:
- In this initial stage, they would work with the applicant organisation, supporting them to carry out a short-term study to establish the feasibility of their property-based idea.
- This support would include advice, shared learning from the previous projects, and tapping into our existing network of organisations and individuals across the sector. They can also facilitate conversations with investors for this work or a potential project.
- Completed feasibility studies will then be considered by Commonweal and their Board of Trustees, with some projects going on to be supported through the development of a longer-term pilot phase. It is expected that the applicant/partner organisation will be delivering this project, with Commonweal’s support, and as such applicants must be committed to this.
- Support during the pilot phase:
- Access to social investment.
- Initiating the project.
- Operational support.
- Strategic support.
- The commissioning of expert evaluation.
- Reduced rent.
- Support promoting the project.
- Support to increase partners’ organisational capacity to continue the project work after the pilot ends.
Eligibility Criteria
- Are looking for not-for-profit organisations from around the UK with imaginative proposals that go above and beyond to tackle issues within the criminal justice system.
- They are particularly interested in project ideas from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME)-led and BAME-focused organisations.
For more information, visit Commonweal Housing.