NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) Small Group Funding Program

Deadline: 31-Mar-2025

The Burnley Pendle & Rossendale Council For Voluntary Service (BPRCVS) is accepting applications from not-for-profit groups and organisations in Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale.

Aims

Projects or schemes should complement the ICB’s strategic aims and commissioning priorities to support an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach:
- ABCD Criteria:
  - Improving the health and wellbeing of local people
  - Backing real people’s dreams and ideas
  - Working alongside people and trusting them to shape their own futures.
  - Bringing energy and creativity to kick-start change
  - Tapping into existing assets, resources, talents, and skills
  - Building new connection and relationships
  - Working with social entrepreneurs and businesses to create new enterprises and jobs.
  - Sparking community-centred investment and regeneration
  - Working with communities to shape more effective health, care, and welfare services.
  - Creating a culture which, wherever possible, says ‘yes’, rather than ‘no’
  - Using language, which is positive, concise and cuts out jargon.
  - Boosting confidence through creative and inspiring activities involving everyone
  - Creating culture change, enterprise and inspiration in communities which lasts long after they’ve gone.

Applications which tackle/support the following key priorities in each locality will take precedence:

Burnley
- Respiratory diseases and housing conditions
- Obesity in children
- Healthy lifestyles
Pendle
- Healthy weight (childhood obesity and physical inactivity)
- Educational attainment/readiness to learn
- Improved health outcomes for Bradley
Rossendale
- Community led mental wellbeing – enhancing the role of voluntary, community and faith sector organisations in improving mental wellbeing
- Physical activity and healthy weight – making it easier for people to be physically active and encouraging healthy weight.
- Developing facilities to support health and wellbeing – developing all indoor and outdoor facilities across the community that maximise the opportunities for people to improve their health and wellbeing

Funding Information

Awards of up to a maximum value of £5,000 will be considered.
Maximum turnover for your organisation should be £150,000 – organisations that have a turnover above £150,000 per annum will not be considered.
There will be no appeals or deferred applications. Applications will be either successful or unsuccessful. Unsuccessful applications will receive limited feedback. If unsuccessful you may apply again in further rounds (subject to available funds).
New/very small groups – This funding encourages small groups or new start up groups to pilot their ideas with a view to gathering evidence for larger funding streams. As long as you are working with the CVS to develop your group you will be eligible to apply.
Activity must be completed within the period 1st August 2024 to 31st March 2025.

What can be funded?

In line with the draft common outcomes framework for social prescribing issued by NHS England, small grants recipients will ideally fit with the following themes:
- Creative – art classes, dance, singing, gardening, etc
- Connected – peer support groups, neighbourhood help, fishing, knit and natter, faith groups, etc
- Active – keep moving, getting out of the house, volunteering and employment support, getting fitter, etc
- Safe – housing debt, domestic abuse, falls prevention, benefits, etc

What can’t be funded?

Any resources or activities for which your group/organisation has already received funding, i.e. existing/current projects.
Activities that promote political and religious messages.
Activities that commence or equipment purchased prior to confirmation of grant funding approval.
Activities that the ICB has already funded. You will need to demonstrate what is different about your project from previously funded activities.
One off sessions or conferences – these cannot be measured so LSCICB will not support these applications.

Outcomes

Increase levels of social contact, awareness of skills, activities and behaviours that improve wellbeing.
Reduced levels of frequent attenders for non-clinical interventions in primary care.
Reduce level of non-clinical attendances at A & E.
Increase patient education about the appropriate use of health services.

Eligibility Criteria

This fund is being made available to community projects in Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale. A similar scheme is available in Hyndburn and Ribble Valley and is administered by Hyndburn and Ribble Valley CVS. Organisations are allowed to access funding from either area but not both.
There is a strong focus for small groups, quality, single locality delivery.
If you had a LSCICB Social Prescribing Fund grant in 2023/24, your project term ended on 31st March 2024 and all monies should now be spent. Provided you meet the criteria and have completed and returned a satisfactory evaluation report and documents evidencing a positive impact, you may be entitled to apply for a further year’s funding for 2024/25.
If you are in direct receipt of Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board funding, you will not be entitled to apply this time. This means that if you have a contract or service level agreement with the LSCICB you will not be entitled to further funding from the Small Groups Funding.
Please ensure that your project clearly addresses the outcomes framework for social prescribing issued by NHS England, strategic outcomes and ABCD criteria of the ICB.
Your project must submit a contingency plan – there may be more disruption to ‘normal’ service delivery due to Covid-19 during the life of your project, your group must submit a plan of how you will deliver your project or an alternative project which supports the same aims and outcomes as the original project as part of this application. If a contingency plan is not submitted your application will not be considered.
Applicants must have an annual turnover of less than £150,000, be a constituted voluntary, community, faith group, a registered Charity or other not-for-profit organisation and have appropriate governance in place, including the policies and procedures required to deliver the service being offered.
Applicants must have their own bank account with a minimum of two signatories.
BPRCVS may visit the group to monitor the policies in place and ensure appropriate governance structure.
BPRCVS can help support groups through the application process.

For more information, visit BPRCVS.