Deadline: 26-May-2023
The Nationwide Building Society is pleased to announce an open call for its Community Grant to change lives in local communities by supporting society’s most vulnerable people by:
- Preventing people from losing their home
- Helping people into a home
- Supporting people to thrive within the home environment
Their impact
This guide is designed to help you apply for a Community Grant. As you’d expect there is important info they’ll need from you to help make sure they have everything they need to make the right shortlisting decisions. But their real intent is to provide grants to projects that make a difference and where they can all work together to get the most impact by supporting those in greatest housing need.
Their priorities when awarding grants
- The Community Boards will favour projects that:
- illustrate a clear link to Nationwide’s ambition for everyone to have a place fit to call home and can demonstrate the impact their project will have on the local community
- are supporting people in housing need, in original or creative ways. This includes both projects already delivering local impact and those carrying out research to find new ways to challenge the housing crisis
- Community Land Trusts can be registered with the charity commission or OSCR in Scotland, the Financial Conduct Authority or with Companies House as a community interest company ltd by guarantee. Companies or community interest companies ltd by shares are not eligible for this fund.
- Statutory organisations, housing associations, companies limited by guarantee with charitable objectives, community interest companies, constituted community or voluntary sector groups are welcome to apply in partnership with an eligible lead organisation. Partnerships should be established before applying.
- have the potential to inspire and be used by others across the country
- have robust plans to measure and report on the difference the grant will make
- can demonstrate sustainability beyond the life of the grant, by building the skills of staff and volunteers, diversifying funding streams and providing long-term solutions for the people they are helping
- can evidence knowledge of local issues and have a network of local connections.
- Before you submit your application, you may find it useful to take a look at some of the projects previously funded by the Nationwide Community Grants programme.
Funding Information
- Charities, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives who are making positive changes in their local areas can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £60,000.
What type of organisation are you?
- A charity registered in the UK
- Community Benefit Society or a Cooperative registered with the Financial Conduct Authority
- A Community Land Trust registered with a charity commission in the UK, the FCA or with Companies House as a community interest company limited by guarantee
What they ’ll fund
- Core costs – up to 20% of the grant amount requested, including running and facility costs, office equipment, supplies, printing, travel and accommodation Staff and volunteer costs for the project lead partner – including full-time staff, part-time staff, project delivery staff costs and other related expenses. All staff must be paid at least the Real Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage Small-scale capital costs – including one-off expenses for equipment, or fixed assets that may have use or benefit beyond the life of the grant (one financial year), such as computer hardware, or items required to deliver a project, such as paint, paintbrushes and gardening equipment
- Activity costs – such as catering or insurance, costs that help deliver projects or activities but fall outside of capital, staffing and volunteering costs Development and capacity building costs – that support organizational sustainability, such as training staff and volunteers, and external consultancy fees
- Building works and refurbishment costs – where they’re essential to the successful delivery of the project.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Community Grant fund is open to registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives.
- Co-operatives and community benefit societies registered with the Financial
- Conduct Authority are also eligible, so long as their associated activities target housing and/or homelessness.
- Partnership and consortia are also encouraged to apply. However, the lead partner must be eligible to apply and will be responsible for managing the grant money, if successful.
- All eligible organisations need to have a minimum of three unrelated trustees and two unrelated bank signatories.
What they won’t fund
- Grants aren’t available for:
- individuals or for individual sponsorship
- activities generating private profit
- major/large-scale capital costs, for example, vehicles, land or property
- retrospective costs – reimbursement for costs already incurred
- organisations that promote religious or party-political activities.
- They will prioritise projects which benefit all possible target beneficiaries irrespective of beliefs or affiliations.
For more information, visit Community Grant.