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Welcome to the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation's new email grants bulletin. We are delighted to be able to keep you up-to-date on our current funding opportunities and to share with you feedback on some recently funded projects. We hope this will encourage and inspire you to apply yourself.
In this first edition, you will find useful information on some of our funds open to applications, as well as upcoming fund deadlines and advice on making your group "grant ready".
You can also read about the Girl Guides who used a CCF grant to open their doors to local disabled girls, and some of the summer's community events we were able to support.
Don't forget to visit our website (www.cambscf.org.uk) for more information on CCF or call us on 01223 410535.
High Sheriff's Award for young people - APPLY NOW
Grants are available to young people working to improve their local community.
Each year the High Sheriff raises funds to support the High Sheriff's Awards. The High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire for 2009/10, Lady De Ramsey, is working with CCF to award grants to local young people.
Grants of up to £500 are awarded to projects that involve young people in voluntary commitment (i.e. giving their time for the benefit of others) and are working to achieve one or more of the following:
- A lasting effect on the community by making it a safer and more pleasant place in which to live;
- Enhance the quality of life of others in the community through provision of an activity or entertainment;
- Significant improvement of the local environment; and
- Promotion of crime reduction activities.
For example, helping the community by improving a local facility (e.g. village hall), working to tackle anti-social behaviour, or improving the lives of local disadvantaged people (e.g. running a holiday club for children from a deprived area) would all be eligible projects.
Smaller grants of up to £200 are also available to projects that involve young people in positive activities, for example dance groups, drama groups or activity days.
Funding will be awarded on 11 March 2010 at a ceremony to celebrate the work of young people in their communities. You can also nominate a local young person in your group to receive a certificate to recognise the contribution they have made to your group and the community.
Take a look at our website www.cambscf.org.uk or call CCF on 01223 410535 for more information and an application form. The deadline for applications is 15 October 2009 so get planning your project and application now!
SPICE Guides celebrate their launch with a High Sheriff's award!
A group of dedicated Girl Guides from East Cambridgeshire were one of the many deserving recipients of a grant from the High Sheriff's Award Scheme in February 2009. A grant of £500 helped them to successfully launch their new group providing Guiding opportunities for local young girls with Special Needs.
The launch party was a huge success, attracting 30 girls from Ely, Littleport, Newmarket and surrounding areas to sign up.
SPICE Guides are now going from strength to strength offering new opportunities for disabled young girls to meet new friends and take part in fun activities.
Cambridgeshire County Council Small Grants for 2010/2011- final deadline coming up!
Organisations that provide services or support to vulnerable adults in Cambridgeshire may be eligible to apply for funding for next year from the Cambridgeshire County Council Small Grants Scheme.
Grants of up to £3,000 are available to not-for-profit community groups in Cambridgeshire providing support or services to adults vulnerable through disability, age or mental illness, to carers looking after those suffering long-term illness, or to adults dealing with a traumatic event.
Groups must have an annual income of less than £50,000, must be in need of funding, and must have relevant policies (such as Equal Opportunities and Vulnerable Adults Policy).
Please see the grant guidelines for more information before applying or call CCF on 01223 410535.
Want to run a litter pick in your local area?
CCF has funds to help you!
Grants of up to £400 are available now to community groups who want to organise a litter pick in Cambridgeshire. You can apply for funds to cover the costs of running the event, including buying equipment. We can even help organise collecting your bags of rubbish at the end!
See our website for more information and to apply online.
Summer Events supported by CCF
CCF is pleased to have awarded several small grants to local organisations to help run community events over the summer. Here are just a few you may have enjoyed that we supported:
Pymoor Agricultural and Country Show
A CCF grant helped organisers to put on a bigger and better show than previous years. Local residents, exhibitors and visitors enjoyed a day out to enjoy traditional rural activities for all the family.
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Arbury Carnival
The Arbury Carnival was supported by a grant from the Grassroots Small Grants Scheme. The event took place in Arbury (on the northern edge of Cambridge City) on the 13th June 2009 was a great success and large crowds came to enjoy a fun day out.
The Grassroots Grant enabled the Carnival Committee to provide lots of entertainment on the stage in the arena and to publicise the event with colourful posters and programmes that went out to all local schoolchildren. The committee have already met to start planning the 2010 Arbury Carnival.
Randall Roots Community Music
CCF supported the free community music event in Peterborough in August. Crowds of over 3,500 people were thrilled by 17 bands, local poets and glorious sunshine and all thanks to a Grassroots Grant. Randall Rootz Mk 3, a free three day festival showcasing community arts and music, captured the imagination of people young and old and left everyone feeling part of something truly wonderful.
For many it was their first taste of a festival atmosphere as scores of families flocked to the Charters riverside venue on the 15 and 16 August. Now in its third year the festival is well established and a grant from Grassroots enabled the volunteer festival organisers, Randall Rootz Community Music, to make this year's event bigger and better. Andrew Whittaker, Chairman of the group picks up the story - "Randall Rootz is all about promoting community music and arts, something that was very dear to local music promoter Mark Randall before his death in 2007. We hope that he is proud of what we have achieved. To see so many people, having so much fun is awesome and the Grassroots Grant helped us achieve more this year and we are very thankful for the support."
Upcoming fund deadlines
Applications are reviewed for many of our funds on an ongoing basis but others have strict deadlines. Here are some of our funds with upcoming deadlines:
Cambridgeshire County Council Small Grants for organisations working with vulnerable adults - 2 October 2009
High Sheriff's Award for young people - 15 October 2009
Comic Relief - 15 October 2009
Cambridge City Council Area Committee Grants - contact CCF for fund deadlines in Sept/Oct 2009 in your part of the city.
Tips for successful CCF applications!
We look forward to receiving applications from all sorts of voluntary and community organisations, especially those who have never applied for funding before. Here are a few tips to help you make a successful application:
- Always read our Grant Guidelines before starting your application! The guidelines have more information about what we will and will not fund and take you through the application process. Some of our funds have specific guidelines which may be relevant to your application. These are all available on our website or on request from CCF. Even if you have applied before, you are advised to make sure you have read the latest guidelines as our processes continue to grow and develop (and hopefully improve).
- Make sure you are 'grant ready'! It is good practice to have all your main documents in a file. This file should include items such as your constitution, your insurance policy, latest polices (such as Equal Opportunities or Child Protection), contact details for your committee, accounts etc. This file will help you in a variety of ways and cut down time you need to spend when seeking funding. All the documents we require are listed on the Grant Applications page on our website. Delay in sending these to us will slow down the processing of your application!
If you do not yet have the requested policies in place, you should contact you local Council for Voluntary Service (the CVS organisations in Cambridgeshire are listed on our website) who will be happy to provide advice and support to put necessary policies in place BEFORE you apply for funding.
- Take time over your application. You can save your online application and come back to it as many times as you wish before you are ready to submit it, so take your time, read the questions carefully and make sure you answer all questions as directly and fully as possible. After all, it is an opportunity to tell us all about the good work your group does! A good approach is to ask someone not directly connected with your project to read through and see if it is clear to them what you do and why you need a grant to help you.
And finally, please contact CCF if you wish to disucss your project before applying for a grant or about the application process. The best way to contact us is by telephone (01223 410535) or email (info@cambscf.org.uk).
Feedback
Comments on the Grants Bulletin - please send any comments you may have about this bulletin to info@cambscf.org.uk - we look forward to hearing from you.
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