£10 million grants programme to tackle discrimination and inequality

Last week saw the Equality and Human Rights Commission launch a new £10 million grants programme to help grassroots organisations continue their work to combat equality and discrimination despite the current economic downturn.

The Strategic Funding Programme, which builds on the Commission’s 2008-2009 interim grants programme, is intended to provide three-year project-based funding for community and voluntary sector organisations that are involved in directly serving their local communities. The Commission is particularly keen to fund activity that will meet an unmet need and has the potential to inspire longer-term work.  Work which can contribute towards strategic aims at a national level, as well as achieving an impact locally, will be prioritised.

The fund has two key priority areas:

• Priority One:  Providing guidance, advice and advocacy services, infrastructure development and capacity building.
• Priority Two:  Good relations.

UK registered charities, charitable bodies, not-for-profit companies and community-interest organisations are all eligible to apply and could receive up to £150,000 per year for three years.

The deadline for applications is 12 June 2009.

For further information visit:

Equality and Human Rights Commission:  http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/Pages/default.aspx

Strategic Funding Programme Press Release:  http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/newsandcomment/Pages/Commission-announces-£10-million-funding-programme-for-voluntary-and-community-sector.aspx

J4bCommunity:  http://www.j4bcommunity.co.uk

Source: j4bCommunity

Third Sector urged to think innovatively as public services funding plummets…

The word at the Public Services Delivery Network annual conference this week is that the third sector can no longer depend on boosting their funding through public service contracts.

 

NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington, speaking on the opening day of the conference, warned that the third sector would find it very difficult to secure financial support from 2011 onwards, as public service funding will begin to plummet to its lowest level since the 1920s.  He proposed new methods of funding and new ways of delivering services as solutions to combat such a downturn and urged all third sector organisations to think innovatively from now on.

 

Martin Narey, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, commented that private sector companies would begin to pose a huge threat to the third sector as a struggle to secure the remaining public services contracts got underway.  He advised voluntary organisations to prepare for stiff competition and claimed providing value for money, cost-effective services would be the only way to challenge heavy weight private sector groups.

 

Many speakers at the conference passed comment on the government’s attempts to help the third sector through the economic downturn.  Whilst nearly all we in favour of the recently announced £42 million action plan for the sector, many claimed this simply wasn’t enough and pointed to the continued ‘bailing out’ of powerful private industries, instead of a focus on local authorities and voluntary organisations, as a serious error of judgement.

 

Source: Social Enterprise Magazine

 

 

 

 

Cash injections and funding cuts in turbulent week for local councils

A cash injection announced yesterday by Local Government Minister John Healey will provide up to 360 councils with a share of £100 million, in a bid to help them tackle the economic downturn.

 

The funding, sourced from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme (LABGI), which successfully rewards councils that promote economic growth, is intended to encourage local authorities to continue to meet local needs and priorities despite the current recession.  It is felt that local councils are best placed to respond effectively to the impact the recession is having on communities at a grassroots level.

 

Despite the promise of extra cash, however, some authorities have already set about drastically slashing the funding they provide to their local voluntary and community sector, in a desperate bid to claw back losses worth millions. 

 

Warwickshire County Council announced it will reduce its voluntary sector spending by more than £600,000, whilst both the London Borough of Merton and the Forest of Dean District Council have condensed their third sector budgets by 10%.

 

Source: Communities and Local Government

£42 million support package for Third Sector announced

The Government yesterday launched a £42 million funding initiative to boost the Third Sector during the economic downturn.

 

The funding package, part of an action plan for the Third Sector developed by Minister Liam Byrne, is designed to specifically target volunteers, charities and social enterprises.

 

It is hoped the funding support will encourage charities and local voluntary and community groups to continue to do what they do best, despite the recession – offer advice, support and volunteer services in hard-hit areas across the country.

 

In particular, third sector organisations providing employment advice and mental health and family support services in deprived areas throughout England and Wales will benefit from cash injections.  Similarly, social enterprises will receive funds in order to find new, more equitable ways of working and doing business.

 

Proposed initiatives as part of the funding support include:

 

• A £15.5 million Community Resilience Fund for local organisations providing services in the most deprived communities in the country.
• A £0.5 million boost for the School of Social Entrepreneurs.
• A £10 million investment in a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people to allow them to gain skills and experience through community-based work.

Speaking about the proposed initiative, Minister for the Third Sector, Kevin Brennan, pointed to the skills and expertise of the sector in helping people work through challenge and change as the reason for such a substantial investment and vowed to help the Third Sector “get stronger now and in the future”, despite the current economic climate.

 

 

 

To download a copy of the action plan and for further information visit:

 

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/real_help_for_communities.aspx

 

 Source: Cabinet Office