WH Smith is distributing the carrier bag levy through grants. The WH Smith Trust will make donations up to £500 to voluntary organisations and schools. Deadline 31 March. Click
here.
Grow Wild is awarding £500 to young people aged 12–25 to lead projects that will raise awareness about the importance of UK native wild flowers and plants. There are two funding streams – Transform a Space and Get Creative. Deadline 12pm, 27 February. Click
here.
Sport England - Community Asset Fund. This new fund aims to:
- improve and protect existing sports facilities that support the needs of local communities
- invest in new and different places that meet the needs of local communities, particularly those hard to reach or new to sport
- ensure capital investment reaches organisations who have not accessed sports funding before
- create a more resilient, sustainable, less grant dependent sport sector
£15 million is available per annum. They expect most grants to be classed as either small (£1,000 - £15,000) or medium (£15,000 - £50,000). Bids for larger amounts will have to demonstrate a considerable impact, or targeting under-represented groups. Football only projects are not eligible, but multi-sport projects including football can apply. Click
here.
The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner's Grant Fund - Applications can be for projects that either help victims of crime cope, recover and move forward, or prevent crime and reoffending. The priority areas for this fund are:
- Violence against women and girls – for example; domestic abuse, serious sexual violence, or female genital mutilation.
- Youth at risk – for example; trauma reduction, child sexual exploitation, gang-related violence and bullying.
- New or innovative projects – for example, work linked to cyber-crime, work with the elderly, human trafficking, modern-day slavery, new crime trends, work with emerging hard-to-reach or hidden victims.
- Capacity building to improve strength and resilience in the sector – for example, multi-agency training, partnership development and sustainability.
There are two different application forms (one for bids of under £2,000 and one for those £2,000 and over). Deadline 5pm, 17 February. Click
here.
Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking tenders from suitably experienced suppliers with the technical ability to produce up to twenty 2-3 minute videos on a range of social housing related topics. Click
here.
Shaw Trust has been shortlisted in five 'Lots' under the DWPs Umbrella Agreement for Employment and Health Related Services and they are looking for locally based providers. Deadline 9am, 10 February. Click
here.
Big Issue Invest has launched Impact Loans England, a new £5 million lending scheme aimed at enabling social enterprises to access loan funding of between £20,000 and £150,000. Click
here.
OTHER INFORMATION
GrantScape, a charity which specialises in grant management, is seeking applications from suitable people to join the board of the charity. There are currently two vacancies on GrantScape's board and applicants with legal, marketing or IT skills would be particularly welcome. Experience of the Renewable Energy industry would be desirable, but is not essential. Deadline 19 February. Click
here.
Approaching local businesses – NCVO's KnowHow NonProfit have produced a very simple guide to how groups should plan to approach businesses for support for their work. Click
here.
Locality have produced a guide 'How to Keep it Local: Five step guide for councillors and commissioners'. The guide busts myths around commissioning locally and showcases the benefits of working with community anchor organisations. Click
here.
Homelessness on the rise - More than 4,000 people a night have been sleeping rough on England's streets, a 16% increase on last year, according to government statistics. Read more from the BBC
here.
Central Bedfordshire Council have a new Youth Support Service Facebook Careers Page, providing an online presence to provide an impartial one stop shop for up to date, useful and reliable information on education, employment and training opportunities. Click
here.
Bedford Borough Council has four Overview and Scrutiny' Committees (Children's Services, Environmental Services and Community Safety, Adult Services and Health, and Corporate Services), that review and investigate issues that matter to local people and local communities, as well as reviewing the Council's own decisions and policies. What do you think that the Committees should look at over the next year? Click
here.
The National Living Wage and the
National Minimum Wage will increase in April 2017. Click
here for the rates.
Anyone want an Overhead Projector? – CVS have two traditional OHP's (which use acetate sheets) looking for a good home. Email
lindsey@cvsbeds.org.uk if you are interested.
VACANCIES
Deputy Chief Executive, Families First Bedfordshire, full-time, (£36,937pa - £43,387pa). Deadline 9am, 13 February. Click
here.
Community Centre Manager, Church Lane Community Centre, Bedford, part-time, 20 hrs per week, NJC scale point (22-25), £20,456 pro-rata, one year fixed term contract with the potential to extend. Deadline 17 February. Click
here.
Bedford & District Cerebral Palsy Society (BDCPS), Grant & Event Fundraiser and Co-Ordinator, part-time,15-20 hrs per week. Deadline 19 February. Click
here.