VOLUNTARY SECTOR LIAISON AND DEVELOPMENT
Our local voluntary and community sector includes large and
small organisations; from locally based national charities,
voluntary organisations and community groups, to local clubs
This section will give you information about how the Council is
working with the sector and how you and your organisation can
benefit.
FUNDING NEWS
Looking for funding for your work or project?
Click on Search For Funding through our Website on the lefthand
side of this page and use the links to free search
facilities.
Dates for Your Diary
Community Money Marketplace 2nd October 2008 at Hylands
House Chelmsford. Workshops, Exhibitors, one to one
funding advice, networking and a chance to see this magnificent
House and Grounds. A fantastic day out!
This event was last held in 2006 when over 400 people came through
the door and all Workshops were over-subscribed - don't
miss out in 2008 book your place now on
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Council Grants Braintree District Council
gives grants for Town & Parish Councils, registered charities,
voluntary and community groups and clubs through our Local Area
Committees. Further information click on
Local Committee Application Form,
Local Area Committee Grants Guidance 2008-2009 &
online Local Committee Application form
Greenfields Community Fund Voluntary and
community groups working in Braintree District can apply for grants
of up to £5,000 per project. This Fund will support anything
from new play equipment to improving a local wildlife
area. Although set up by Greenfields Community Housing,
it is managed by Essex Community Foundation and further information
is available from them on 01245 356018 or visit their website:
www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk
Greenfields Fast Access Fund Up to £100
of funding available if you need the money quickly. Contact
Greenfields Community Investment Manager on 01376 567317 or email:
Karen.O'Connor@GreenfieldsCH.org.uk
Community Housing & Investment Partnership
(CHIP) Fund The first £50,000 of the new Community
Housing and Investment Partnership (CHIP) Fund is to be available
for local projects. The Fund is being made available through
a partnership between Braintree District Council and Greenfields
Community Housing, with a total of £11million to be available
during the next few years. The main Fund will
open for applications in Spring 2009, but this September, the first
£50,000 will be dedicated to community projects for which people
can vote. The projects will be promoted through the Braintree
and Witham Times and Halstead Gazette and the projects with the
most votes will be awarded a grant. Application forms are on
the Greenfields website from the 3rd September.
www.greenfieldsch.org.uk
In September 2008 a £75,000 Community Consultation
Fund will open. This fund will be open to
groups who have a project idea but want to consult with the local
community to ensure it best meets local needs. More details,
application forms and guidance notes will be available on the
Greenfields website from the 10th September. For more
information:
Write to: Karen O’Connor, Community Investment Manager, Greenfields
Community Housing, Causeway House, Braintree, Essex, CM7
9HB Call: 01376 567317
Email:Karen.O’Connor@GreenfieldsCH.org.u
Community Spaces This fund helps local
community groups create or improve green and open spaces such as
play areas, community gardens,parks, wildlife areas, village
greens, kick-about areas and pathways. There is a 2 stage
application process open to constituted community groups,
registered charities and trusts, church based and other faith
groups, 'Friends Of'' groups and tenants and residents
associations. Small Grants from £10,000-£25,000 and Medium
Grants from £25,001 to £49,999 available to January
2011. Larger and Flagship grants from £50,000-£450,000
available until Summer 2008. Match funding is not needed for
small, medium or large grants. Information, guidelines and
application form available from:
www.community-spaces.org.uk
or 0845 3671671
Community Initiatives Fund (Essex County
Council) The 2008/9 funding round has a closing
date has now closed and we await news of next year's
deadline. Further information available on
http://www.communityinitiativesfund.co.uk/
Money For Youth Projects. The Community
Initiatives Fund (see above) now has a separate grant stream for
projects for young people. This is for capital projects only
with a minimum grant of £15,000. Closing dates for this round
are 12th September 2008 and 16th January 2009. Further
information, guidelines and applicaiton forms available on
http://www.communityinitiativesfund.co.uk/
Essex Community Foundation has grants available
for charities, voluntary and community groups in Essex.
Grants of up to £10,000 can be applied for.
Although funding is available for a wide variety of
projects the following Funds will only fund
organisations in Braintree District:
Marion Ruth Courtauld Educational Fund - for
organisations that would like to provide educational, training and
development opportunities for young people.
William Julien Courtauld Medical Fund - for
organisations requiring medical equipment for training purposes
Essex Community Foundation also offer a small grants
programme called Grassroots Grants for groups with
an income of less than £20,000 per year which should be mainly
volunteer led and have been active in their community for more than
12 months. Grants available up to £5,000
More information on Marion Ruth Courtauld
Fund, William Julien Courtauld Medical Fund,
Grassroots Grants and all other grants available
from Essex Community Foundation can be found on
http://www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk/
or call their grants team on 01245 356018 who will be happy
to answer any queries in advance of an application being
submitted.
Changes to Awards For All (small lottery
grants)
Changes took effect from 4th April 2006 with new
application form and guidelines, new regional priorities and grants
now available from £300 to £10,000. Find out more on
http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/
Reaching Communities - launched by The Big
Lottery at the end of 2006. Voluntary and community groups,
Town & Parish Councils and statutory organisations can
apply. Grants range from £10,001 to
£500,000 . You need to submit a 2
page outline proposal and will hear within 15 days whether you can
submit a second stage application for consideration. Click on
www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/programmes/reachingcommunities
for further details, guidelines and application form
If you are organising a small sponsored or sports event taking
place on the highway, roads or in a public place click on the
following link for a free Safety Guide:
http:police.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-and-publications/publication/operational-policing/event-safety-guide.pdf
Fundraising
A wide range of one to one help and advice is available from our
External Funding Service. This could include general advice for
groups just starting out, help to identify sources of funding, or
assistance with filling out grant application forms. Contact Angela
Verghese by email or phone: -
angve@braintree.gov.uk
or 01376 551414 extn 2329.
You may also find some useful information by clicking on the
following links:
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Where do we start?
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Where do we get the money?
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Can we get money from the lottery?
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Can we get money from Trusts?
Training
Seminars giving updates on lottery funding, training days and
presentations by individual funders are held from time to time.
Information will appear in the press and on this website
Voluntary and community organisations can access a wide range of
training at affordable prices at Essex venues. This is provided by
Voluntary Sector Training and further details are available from
their website: http://www.voluntarysectortraining.org.uk/
Local Compact
This Council is a signatory to Braintree District Local Compact
which is an agreement between the District's voluntary and
statutory organisations. Its aim is to strengthen the working
relationship between the voluntary and statutory sectors by helping
to clarify expectations and obligations on both sides.
Five Local Compact Codes of Practice have now been
developed covering Volunteering, Funding, Consultation &
Policy Appraisal, Community Groups and Black & Minority Ethnic
Groups. Braintree District Voluntary Support Agency are leading the
development of the local Compact. If you are not already a
signatory or have any queries about the Local Compact and how it
works for you contact: Angela Verghese:
angve@braintree.gov.uk
or Judy Cuddeford:
judy@bdvsa.org
Voluntary Sector Liaison
We work closely with Braintree District Voluntary Support
Agency, the local voluntary sector's umbrella organisation who
offer wide a range of services for the voluntary sector and The
Rural Communities Council of Essex whose services include wide
ranging advice and information for village and community halls
Let us know what you think
Please tell us what you think about the information provided for
voluntary organisations on this website.
Did you find it useful?
What else would you like to see included?
Do you have any fundraising successes you want to share with
others that we could feature on the site?
Send us your comments and ideas by clicking on -
angve@braintree.gov.uk