Deadline: 29-Aug-24
The Leeds Community Foundation is now inviting applications for the LGBTQIA+ Microgrants, which are designed to help LGBTQIA+-led organizations enhance their sustainability and resilience.
The fund is aimed at small and emerging Leeds-based community organisations who may not be able to access other grants programmes.
Successful applicants will receive a microgrant and access to capacity-building support and networks.
Funding Information
- Grants of up to £500 are available for informal, unconstituted groups.
- Grants of up to £1,000 are available for formally constituted organisations.
- Duration: Up to 1 year
What Can Be Funded
- One-off projects supporting your organisation’s development, including your purpose and governance, building effective leadership or networks, improving finance and operations, impact measurement, improving policies, and identifying partnership/collaboration opportunities.
- Funding for specific activities or projects, particularly with an aim to free up time for organisational reflection.
- For unconstituted groups, support to research or set up formally and become constituted.
- They recognise that you will know best what is needed for you to support and empower your communities, and they welcome applications for a wide range of activities. Proposals that work towards resilience and sustainability will be prioritised.
What Can’t Be Funded
- Activity and costs that have already taken place.
- Activity targeted at a particular group (ethnic, gender, religious etc.), except LGBTQIA+ communities, without a clear justification for this.
- Activity that promotes a particular political or religious point of view.
- Activity primarily for the benefit of animals.
- Capital appeals for building projects.
- Grant-making to other organisations and/or individuals.
- Applications from individuals.
- Expeditions or overseas travel.
Location
- Leeds
Eligibility Criteria
- Not-for-profit incorporated Community Organisations from the third sector, such as CIOs, CICs or charitable companies. You will be registered with the Charity Commission, Companies House or Mutual Public Register (FCA).
- Organisations that are constituted but are not incorporated or a registered charity can only apply if your annual income is less than £10,000, and if securing the grant would not take you above this threshold for the current financial year.
- Grants of £500 or less
- Small unconstituted groups can only apply if your annual income is less than £10,000, and if securing the grant would not take you above this threshold for the current financial year.
- For-profit organisations, statutory organisations or activity (e.g. schools and hospitals), and overseas organisations cannot be funded. Companies should be limited by guarantee and clearly constituted for public benefit. CICs should have an asset lock with a designated company in place. Any unincorporated organisation cannot use grant funds to directly employ staff, but funds can be used to hire freelance workers.
- All constituted (with a formal document explaining the purpose of your group and how it is organised) organisations applying, regardless of legal structure, must have:
- At least three Trustees/Directors/Committee Members (whichever is applicable, depending on your organisation’s legal structure) who are independent and unrelated. For registered charitable companies (companies limited by guarantee without share capital, CICs and similar) they require a minimum of three unrelated directors, and none should be registered as Persons with Significant Control.
- A governing document e.g. constitution or memorandum and articles of association that show how your group is managed.
- A bank or building society account in the name of your organisation with a minimum of two unrelated authorised signatories on the mandate and transactions requiring authorisation by at least two of those authorised signatories.
- The previous year’s accounts or a record of income and expenditure for your organisation (if you are a new organisation, you will need to provide a bank statement and a balance sheet).
- A relevant safeguarding policy, if your organisation has one. Successful applicants can access subsidised support with developing a policy if they don’t have one.
Key Information
- Organisations must have an income under £75,000 in the most recent financial year to be eligible.
- Activity must be based in Leeds, and applicants must be based in, or have a demonstrable connection to, Leeds communities.
- Only one application per organisation can be considered.
- Successful applicants will also be able to access workshops and peer support programmes from their partner, the national LGBT Consortium.
- Applications are open to organisations with different aims, including trans advocacy, social groups, and activism/support across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
- They particularly welcome applications from organisations with an intersectional focus, including work with older people.
For more information, visit Leeds Community Foundation.