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Community Foundation

Read our latest Newsletters

The December edition of CVS news and Funding 4 Sunderland are available to download below. Read about our new member of staff, find out who the new SCN delegates are and catch up on the latest funding available to the voluntary and community sector.

CVS news

Funding 4 Sunderland

National Skills Strategy

The Department of Business Innovation and Skills recently published 'Skills for Growth', the National Skills Strategy, and quickly followed this with the Skills Investment Strategy for 2010-11.

The National Skills Strategy contains several proposals which the Government believe will help meet the country's skills needs now and in future economies.

Download the strategy here>>

Volunteering Social Network Launched

i-volunteer is a new online social network. It has been enabled by redcci who are an independent body that aims to enable companies to maximise their potential impact on communities.

The idea of the network is to enable people that care passionately about their community, either as volunteers or by managing the work of volunteers, to connect with, learn from, inspire and support each other in what they are trying to do. i-volunteer also aims to provide an independent source of comment about all things volunteering in the UK through commissioned editorial and features, as well as via the posts and comments made by the i-volunteer community.


It's a work in progress and they intend to develop the platform according to the needs of the community, so your feedback is very much wanted and appreciated by them.

You can find it at: www.i-volunteer.org.uk

Visible Workspace

Sunderland City Council is promoting a scheme called Visible Workspace. This is aimed to encourage the development of more space for new and small businesses throughout the city – this includes the city centre, surrounding suburbs, Washington, Houghton and Hetton, together with neighbouring villages and settlements.

BE Group is working on this project for the Council and would like to speak to any organisations with their own building, whether owned or rented, that have surplus space that could be used for workspace. This could be space for just one small desk and computer; a number of offices; workshop(s); a retail/café outlet(s); or surplus land where a new building or extension could be built. It could apply to just part of the building or the whole thing. At this stage anything considered.

This scheme could use spare space in your building, make your centre/organisation more vibrant and generate income. There is funding available to help develop this workspace if it is appropriate.

If there is any interest in this, or feel you could help, ideally please email at Chris Wilson, BE Group (ChrisWilson@begroup.uk.com)in the first instance with: contact name and number; organisation; building name and address; and if at all possible an estimated size of the surplus space (e.g. 2m x 3m, 6 strides x 10 strides, 3 x small 2 man offices, 200 sqm).

Alternatively call 01925 281290 to discuss this further.

This seminar will be held on 15 January 2010. Download the flyer here>>.

Please note that bookings should be made at www.rywu.org.uk/aspire and places are limited.

Community Engagement Framework Workshop

NHS SOTW Public, Patient and Community Engagement Framework Workshop will be held on 7 January 2010, facilitated by Jan Smithies. To help with planning the event please complete and return the reply slip here>> by Friday 18 December 2009.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Maria Taubman on
0191 497 1509.

International Strategy Steering Group Meeting

The minutes from the International Strategy Steering Group Meeting held on the 9th December are available to download here>>.

Worldwide - November 2009 Issue

Download November's issue of Worldwide - Sunderland's International Bulletin here>>.

Guide Dogs Appeal

Guide Dogs aims to increase the number of guide dog partnerships by a third by 2020. In order to achieve this they need to find 2000 additional puppy sponsors by Christmas.

Please make a difference by sponsoring a puppy this Christmas for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, from just £1 a week. It's a fun and rewarding way to help change a life. Simply follow the SPONSOR button below to give an amazing gift.

Healthy City Investment Fund

The deadline for the Healthy City Investment Funding has now been extended until 12 noon 25th January 2010.

The healthy city investment grant aims to encourage innovative service provision within the Sunderland area, linked to the strategic plans and linked directly to the achievement of the specific health priority areas.

To be eligible to apply for Grant Assistance funding you must be a Community and Voluntary Sector Organisation and be able to demonstrate that you can follows these broad criteria:

• is constitutionally independent and not directly controlled by a for-profit organisation or the state;
  
  
• is self governing with its own internal decision making process;
  
  
• its objectives and activities would benefit the wider public;
  
  
• it has a formal constitution or governing document which shows its objectives and management structure; and
  
  
• it is financially viable.

For further information and an application form visit our website: www.sunderlandcvs.co.uk.

Please note all forms should be returned to Mary Pattinson (email:mary.pattinson@sunderlandcvs.co.uk)

South of Tyne and Wear Primary Care Trust need your help!!

Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside residents are way above the national average when it comes to death rates for Coronary Vascular disease which includes Heart Disease, Diabetes, Stroke and Kidney disease and those most at risk are between the ages of 40 and 74, so these are the people the PCT need to target.

Something must be done about this now and wthe PCT need your innovative ideas to engage our residents into going and getting their health checks at the participating pharmacists, GP practices and the new community team, (who are able to come out to venues) to initiate the health check and detect people who are at risk.

We can make a difference and if you think you can help please apply.

£120,000 per year for three years (2010-2013) is available for Voluntary Organisations across Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland to fund ways of encouraging people to take up their health checks.

Applications opened 23rd November and close at 5pm on Friday 29th January 2010.

Application forms, guidance, additional information and the timetable are all available online from http://www.sotw.nhs.uk/content.aspx?id=5248.

All applications can be returned by post or email and must include all of the documents referred to within the application.

If there are any queries or problems please do not hesitate to contact Penny Davison, Sean Halliday or Lynn Cole on telephone number 0191 2831000.

The Community Voices Project aims to inspire, engage and support disadvantaged and isolated communities across England to get their voices heard through Digital Media. 

Led by Media Trust, and running until March 2011, Community Voices will provide funding of up to £14,000 for 26 groups to develop Digital Media projects in their communities. Projects could include schemes such as digital photo exhibitions or social networking communities, or making a short film. They will also provide comprehensive tools and resources for communities to increase engagement through digital media.

Their outreach manager, Kim Townsend is traveling around the country to meet local community groups and volunteer organisations, to let them know about the project and also to find out more about your local organisations and the work that you do. She would love to hear from you.

Specifically Kim is going to be in Northumberland and Middlesborough in the week commencing 14th December.

You can get in touch at communityvoices@mediatrust.org or call 0207 217 3751.  Funding applications open in January so to express your interest and to find out more visit their website http://www.mediatrust.org/communityvoices/

The Office of the Third Sector has announced that £1m in bursaries for volunteer managers will be available from April next year to help meet some of the skills development needs of people managing volunteers.

Capacitybuilders are managing the fund and are inviting expressions of interest to provide two distinct types of programme - the first will support those coordinating volunteering activity day to day, the second will focus more on those with management and strategic responsibilities. Each will be a tried and tested programme, based on the National Occupational Standards in Volunteer Management, and offering optional accreditation.

The funding is for training providers to deliver existing skills development products targeting people who manage volunteers. The total amount of funding available will be approximately £900,000. Bursaries will become 'live' in April 2010 and Capacitybuilders would expect product delivery to commence by early May 2010. All bursaries funds must be used by 31st March 2011. To be eligible training providers must operate in at least four of the Governments nine regions.

The deadline is 8th January 2010.

Capacitybuilders are unable to enter into detailed discussions regarding proposals at this stage. However more information can be obtained from David Conroy - email: david.conroy@capacitybuilders.org.uk

http://capacitybuilders.org.uk/node/249
 

Youth Sector Development Fund (England)

Voluntary and community organisations are invited to bid in Round 4 of the Youth Sector Development Fund.

This fourth round will fund organisations that can demonstrate new approaches in responding to the needs of young people and parents for impartial information, advice and guidance about learning and work opportunities (including opportunities to experience those routes at first hand). In addition the Fund will develop the capacity of these organisations, through a mixture of funding and business support, so that they can deliver those innovative ways of working.

• Organisations must be formally constituted with a minimum annual turnover of at least 2.5 times the sum bid for

• The grants available will normally range between £200,000 and £500,000

• Organisations already receiving YSDF funding and support are not eligible to apply for this funding round

• Around 25 third-sector organisations are expected to benefit from the fund

The closing date for applications is the 4th February 2010.

For more information visit http://ysdf.ecotec.com/index.asp?pID=13, call 0845 630 8699 or email ysdf@ecotec.com

There is a pre-application workshop being held at the Hilton in Leeds on 16th December, 10am-2pm.

To book a place, email ysdf@ecotec.com with your details.

Provider Development Innovation Fund (North East)

The Fund is a project of the North East Improvement and Efficiency Partnership’s Adult Social Care programme. Proposals are invited from multi-agency partnerships or collaborations of local authority providers and/or voluntary, private and third sector providers - sponsored by at least one local authority - interested in piloting new and innovative approaches to improve North East adult social care.

Funding is for projects to commence in February 2010 and be completed no later than 31st January 2011. £600,000 is available in total – funding is for revenue only and it is anticipated that a project value will be between £20,000 and £100,000 (in exceptional cases there may be flexibility with these limits). Match funding (financial or in-kind) is desirable.

Projects must:

• be collaborative

• be a new and innovative initiative that supports personalised service delivery

• seek to improve a number of the following national indicators

• 6 - Participation in regular volunteering
• 7 - A thriving third sector
• 119 - Self reported measure of peoples overall health and wellbeing
• 124 - People with a long-term condition supported to be independent and in control of their condition
• 139 - The extent to which older people receive the support they need to live independently at home
• 142 - Percentage of vulnerable people who are supported to maintain independent living

The deadline for applications is 15th January 2010.

For more information and to apply: http://www.northeastiep.gov.uk/adult/providerfund.htm

Alternatively for more information contact Julie Brown on 07917 813 667 or julie.brown@northeastcouncils.gov.uk

Transformation Trust (England)

The Transformation Trust, newly set up by Partnerships for Schools, is inviting third sector organisations to bid for funding for Academic Year 2010. Designed to complement the Building Schools for the Future programme, the Trust funds extra-curricular activities within state schools which are designed to inspire and enthuse young people in some of the most deprived parts of the country so that they go on to achieve their full potential, no matter what their background.

The deadline for submitting bids is 23rd December 2009.

For more information visit http://www.transformationtrust.org.uk/default.htm

An important message from Northern Rock Foundation about grant programmes in 2009

In response to changing regional circumstances, including the impact of the recession, Trustees have agreed to a changed focus in their grant giving. From 2010 there will be increasing investment in homelessness projects and a new focus on developing initiatives specifically for those who are financially excluded to address growing need in the region. Trustees further agreed, from 2010, to re-focus culture and heritage grants towards projects which also tackle disadvantage as a principal objective.

The Foundation will develop these plans over the remainder of this year and information on these will be available early in 2010.

Applications to the Culture and Heritage Programme stopped being accepted on the 7th August 2009.

We are currently accepting applications under our three grant programmes.

• Independence and Choice – services for people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities, older people and carers;
  
  
• Building Positive Lives – one-to-one help for young people at risk, homeless people, substance misusers and groups that face prejudice and discrimination;
  
  
• Safety and Justice – reducing the incidence and impact of domestic and sexual violence, abuse and hate crimes

As part of our support for older people’s projects in Independence and Choice, we are accepting applications from organisations providing welfare benefits advice and targeted benefit take-up campaigns.

Overall, we are continuing our policy of funding fewer, better grants, and engaging with applicants and grant-holders to help them maximise their effectiveness. We are also making grants for work across the North East and Cumbria. If your work fits within one of these three programmes, you can apply now in the normal way. All the information you need is on this website.

In February 2008, the Chancellor announced that the Foundation would receive a minimum of £15m a year in 2008, 2009 and 2010 from Northern Rock, as part of the arrangement under which the bank was taken into temporary public ownership. The Foundation’s Trustees intend to spend up to £11 million through their grant programmes this year.

Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear – current calls for applications

• P&G: Funds projects for children aged 0-13 years that meet its criteria of live, learn and thrive. Usually makes grants of £500 - £2,500. Deadline for the next meeting is 5th February 2010.
  
  
• Northumbrian Water. Small grants of around £250 - £500 are available. They particularly like to buy equipment or resources for activities
  
  

Deadline for the next meeting is 22nd January 2010.

Applicants can apply on-line or download an application from the Community Foundation website.

Please specify which fund is being applied to.

For further information visit www.communityfoundation.org.uk, call 0191 222 0945 or email sl@communityfoundation.org.uk