WHO ARE THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE FUNDERS?
Gloucestershire Funders is an informal group of charitable and public sector funders committed to working together in a joined up, flexible and swift way to benefit Gloucestershire charities, people and groups. Gloucestershire Funders was started as an immediate response at the start of the Covid pandemic to respond to the financial crisis affecting many charities, community groups and organisations. We got positive feedback from applicants, and have found the sharing of information between us so valuable that we have decided to keep it going.
We aim to provide one point of access to sources of financial support for Gloucestershire charities and groups. We want to reduce the number of applications that those charities and groups have to make, allowing them to sustain the huge range of support, services and projects that they provide to improve life for people across Gloucestershire. We have an active group who meet very regularly and a wider group with whom we connect and consult.
Please find below information on the various funders in the group. We strongly recommend that you read this information before beginning your application.
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BARNWOOD TRUST
– What do we fund?
As part of the Funded Partner Programme, Barnwood offers 3 distinct funding options open to organisations and groups who work to create positive change for disabled people and people with mental health conditions throughout Gloucestershire. These are: Unrestricted Funding, Project Funding and Small Grants Funding.
– Size of grants available?
The amount that your organisation can apply for, as well as the type of funding you may receive, will depend on several factors. For Unrestricted Funding you can apply for up to £150,000, or the equivalent of £50,000 per year if less than 3 years. For Project Funding you can apply for funding of between £10,000 and up to £100,000, or the equivalent of £33,000 per year if less than 3 years. For Small Grants Funding you can apply for up to £10,000. Full details are on our website.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
At a Gloucestershire Funders meeting, Barnwood Trust will decide whether your proposal and/or organisation or group fits within our eligibility criteria. If it does, a member of the team will be in touch with you to discuss making a full application.
– Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
Please see the Information Pack on our website for details on how quickly an application is turned around. As a rule, for Unrestricted Funding and Project Funding, it may take up to 3 months between your application being submitted to Barnwood and receiving an outcome. For Small Grants Funding, we aim to have an answer for you within a month of Barnwood receiving your application.
– Restrictions and eligibility?
You can check which funding category you might be eligible for by using our ‘eligibility tree. Detailed eligibility criteria for each funding type can be found on our website.
– Useful to know?
Please note that organisations cannot currently make an application directly to Barnwood Trust. Applications are received by us through Gloucestershire Funders. To make an application to us, you must first submit a short expression of interest through the Gloucestershire Funders website.
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THE JULIA AND HANS RAUSING TRUST
– What do we fund?
The Trust’s funding interests are broad, with an emphasis on work in the areas of welfare, education and health. We are particularly interested in charities supporting people who may be facing disadvantage in all its various forms. For more information visit our website.
– Size of grants available?
Although very large grants have been made to national charities, local giving in Gloucestershire is generally through lower value grants, and in recent times these have averaged in the region of £20,000.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
Should we decide to consider your case, we will be in touch to gather some additional information. This will likely involve a telephone conversation and submission of some further information by email (e.g. further financial details such as budgets). There is no additional application form to complete. We may wish to visit your organisation to see your work firsthand.
– Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
Funding decisions are taken on a rolling basis. It usually takes several weeks for us to gather required information, conduct a site visit (if required) and hold our internal deliberations (though on occasion it can take longer).
– Restrictions and eligibility?
We prefer to co-fund and so may not consider funding the full amount required. We generally only consider registered charities.
– Useful to know?
As a general rule, the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust is not open to applications. We are however supportive of funder collaboration and reducing administrative time and effort on the part of those seeking funding. We therefore participate in the Gloucestershire Funders group and may from time to time consider relevant expression of interest applications made through the Gloucestershire Funders portal. Most of our funding however is made through our proactive programmes, where we select and approach organisations with whom we may wish to work. As such, proposals that come to us through the Gloucestershire Funders portal forms only a small percentage of our overall funding.
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
– What do we fund?
Our vision is for Gloucestershire to be a place where people and communities are empowered to become resilient and strong. We only support organisations based in Gloucestershire and working directly with Gloucestershire communities. Each of our grant programmes has a slightly different focus with some specifically supporting young people, older people or people with disabilities. In general we prioritise our support to groups facing some form of inequality, including health, wealth and reduced opportunities. We will support project costs, organisational running costs, salaries and some smaller capital costs such as items of equipment. We generally focus on supporting smaller grassroots organisations where our smaller grants can have a bigger impact.
– Size of grants available?
Most of our grants are for £5,000 or less with occasional exceptions of up to £10,000.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
If we think your application may be something that we could support through the Gloucestershire Community Foundation we will email you with a link to our second-stage application form along with details of the relevant programme and application deadlines/panel meeting dates.
– Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
We have three grants programmes which each support slightly different things and each meet three times a year. Most programmes will allow for a decision between 8-10 weeks depending on your application date.
– Restrictions and eligibility?
GCF grants are normally awarded to local, voluntary and community organisations where a small amount of money can make a big difference. Applicants must be based and working in Gloucestershire. You do not have to be a registered charity, as long as the work you do has charitable aims. We do not usually fund statutory organisations, organisations with less than three trustees or directors, or organisations with more than 12 months operating costs in reserves (those with more than 9 months will be asked why they can not use those reserves to fund the intended work) Please refer to our website for further information: www.gloucestershirecf.org.uk/grants
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NATIONAL BENEVOLENT CHARITY
– What do we fund?
We make grants to organisations which can demonstrate that their beneficiaries are experiencing poverty and that their project, programme, or organisation aims to alleviate that poverty and improve lives. We define poverty as struggling to pay for essentials and to be able to participate in society, when your resources are well below your minimum needs (Joseph Rowntree Foundation). We fund work that helps people in destitution by tackling homelessness, food insecurity or fuel poverty; or that lifts people out of poverty longer-term through employment/education/training, strengthening families and/or communities, or improving access to benefits. Our preference is for unrestricted funding.
– Size of grants available?
The maximum we will award is £10,000 per organisation per year, we are open to funding over two years.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
We will contact the organisation to arrange an informal virtual meeting or phone call. At this time, we will also send over a list of questions/discussion areas so that the organisation can prepare beforehand.
-Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
Our grants panel meets three times a year and so decisions for our larger grants (multi-year grants or single awards of £2,000-£10,000) can take between 3 and 6 months. Smaller grants of up to £2,000 will have an outcome within 2 months.
-Restrictions and eligibility?
Organisations do not have to be registered charities to apply, however they do need to be a not-for-profit and have an agreed constitution.
– Useful to know?
We are open to being contacted throughout the application process.
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ACTIVE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
– What do we fund?
We support organisations that offer people the change to live more physically active lives such as community groups or clubs.
– Size of grants available?
There’s no minimum amount but typically we’ll directly fund no more than £10,000.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
We’ll usually follow up with an email or telephone call and we’ll then support you to complete an application form.
– Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
One to two months.
– Restrictions and eligibility?
Groups will need to be, or be supported by, a constituted charity or CIC that complies with the Code for Sports Governance. We can advise further about how to ensure that this is the case and what to do to comply.
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NHS GLOUCESTERSHIRE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (ICB)
– What do we fund?
Applications that will improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for people and communities, with a particular focus on health inequalities and organisations working collaboratively to support each other.
– Size of grants available?
The amount of funding given is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
– What will happen if we decide to take an application forward?
NHS Gloucestershire ICB will make a funding decision based on the information given in an organisations EOI to Gloucestershire Funders. If more information is needed, then NHS Gloucestershire ICB will contact the organisation directly to have a further conversation.
– Time from Gloucestershire Funders meeting to a decision?
NHS Gloucestershire ICB aim to make a decision and award funding within 4 weeks of an application being reviewed by Gloucestershire Funders, however this may take slightly longer if joint funding with another funder is agreed.
– Restrictions and eligibility?
N/A
– Useful to know?
Barnwood Trust administers funding on behalf of the ICB, so you may receive your offer via a Barnwood member of staff.
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The active group also includes Officers from the six District Council engagement/participation teams across the county, and the Head of Commissioning for Voluntary and Community Partnerships at Gloucestershire County Council.
The funders we connect with from time to time are the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, St James’s Place Foundation and The Henry Smith Charity County Grants and Thirty Percy. We are in close contact with the VCS Alliance.