Funding

Covid-19 Engaged Communities Fund

Funding opportunities to support local communities via the voluntary and community sector in Suffolk.

Covid-19 Engaged Communities Fund | Suffolk County Council

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Majority funders of this (BFER) Scheme, the National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest dedicated funder of heritage in the UK

https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding

Suffolk 2020 Fund

The Suffolk 2020 Fund is a one-year fund of £3m earmarked for investment in emerging policy priorities. When this guidance was first published, following the budget in March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had not hit the UK. Since then, the UK and Suffolk has seen a rapid and significant shift in activity. This is not just in direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also a renewed focus on keeping essential public services running during this time and an increase in the amount of innovation in services and processes, especially through the use of technology.

It is clear some of the original policy themes identified for funding remain important, or have even grown in importance, because of Covid-19. Safer places and safer spaces are important as we transition from response to recovery. The importance of remaining active and taking exercise outdoors has been stressed as part of the response. Innovation and the use of technology has grown significantly during the time of the pandemic. As we transition from a period of lockdown, from response into a cautious recovery, the Suffolk 2020 fund can support schemes covering the following themes:

• Built environment – addressing the improvement of buildings and assets across Suffolk, often in conjunction with reducing carbon emissions or improving energy efficiency.
• Natural environment – protecting or enhancing Suffolk’s natural environment and building on Suffolk County Council’s leading role in the green economy.
• Road safety – addressing issues of safety on Suffolk’s road and enhancing safe forms of travel.
• Carbon reduction & carbon offset – supporting initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and to create carbon ‘sinks’ or offset emissions.
• Innovation – stimulating innovation in public service policy in Suffolk and the delivery of the priorities of the County Council.
• Use of technology – making better use of technology to support the delivery of public services and address the Council’s priorities.

Each scheme/project will be sponsored by a SCC Cabinet member. The intention is to adopt good ideas covering more than one geographic area of Suffolk, rather than having a number of small-scale projects.

The Fund is open to proposals for projects of between £50,000 and £500,000.

Who can submit proposals?

Project proposals must be submitted by a County Council Cabinet Member.

Further details on the Fund, including how project proposals will be developed, are set out here.

Biffa Award Grants Scheme

Biffa Award’s Main Grants Scheme is aimed at groups that need funding to improve the quality of life in their community.
Between £10,000 and £75,000 can be awarded for projects that are within 5 miles of a significant Biffa Group Limited operation or 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill site.

Biffa Award’s Main Grants Scheme is aimed at groups that need funding to improve the quality of life in their community.  We provide funding for site based capital expenditure to create or improve a community amenity or habitat for biodiversity.  Between £10,000 and £75,000 can be awarded for projects that are within 5 miles of a significant Biffa Group Limited operation or 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill site.  In addition, projects must be within 10 miles of a landfill site (not necessarily owned by Biffa Group Limited) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  All projects must fit within one of the three themes listed below, and the total cost of the project must be less than £200,000 including VAT.

THEMES

Community Buildings

Biffa Award aims to provide and improve community buildings such as village halls, community centres and church halls to act as mechanisms for community involvement.  Priority is given to those projects that enhance, maintain or introduce real community led social, economic or environmental improvements.  Projects which fall within this description will be registered under the ENTRUST category D.

Applications for repair or maintenance of churches must be able to demonstrate wider community benefit.

Rebuilding Biodiversity

We will give preference to projects under this theme that have a strong element of public access or inclusion, such as volunteer involvement.

Recreation

The Recreation theme generally covers projects which will benefit people within their free time.  Many projects under this theme also have elements of the other three themes within them; we tend to receive more applications under this theme than the others.  Projects which fall within this description will be registered under the ENTRUST category D.

Examples of projects that fall under this category are green spaces, woodland walks, nature reserves, play areas, community gardens and sports facilities such as pavilions, and clubhouses.

Click here for futher information on the Biffa Awards Grants Scheme

Nearest Biffa Group site to the Brecks: Bury St Edmunds Depot (Operation)Chapel Pond Hill , Bury St Edmunds , Suffolk , IP32 7HT

Find out if you’re eligible by entering your project postcode here

Environment Agency: Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund

This fund is currently in the design phase and this information is intended to provide an overview of fund. the Environment Agency will be consulting on the design of the fund in the autumn 2020.

The Government are introducing a natural environment Investment Readiness Fund (IRF) to support the development of natural environment projects that can generate revenue from ecosystem services and attract repayable investment.

This scheme is currently in development, and is part of HMG’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Green Finance Strategy commitments to explore the potential for a natural environment impact fund and work with a range of partners on stimulating innovation in designing and implementing projects that can directly protect/enhance the domestic natural environment and generate revenue.

The natural environment Investment Readiness Fund will build on work Defra commissioned from Vivid Economics and Environmental Finance1; and a partnership between Defra, Environment Agency, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Triodos Corporate Finance, which has provided funding and advice to four such projects.

Aims of the fund

The Fund seeks to:

• Support the development of a credible track-record of private sector investment in natural
  environment projects that will boost market confidence.
• Broaden the funding-base for domestic natural environment projects, responding to the needs of the sector by helping organisations become more financially resilient and increase the overall level of funding.
• Help meet demand from increasing numbers of investors and businesses seeking opportunities to invest their capital in a way that generates both a financial return and a positive environmental impact.
• Stimulate a pipeline of natural environment projects that can attract and repay private sector investment.

For further information click here.

The second application window for the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund is now open.

Full details are provided in the Press release – Round 2

Links to other funding information and resources

This section will take you to external sources of information for funding opportunities

Heritage

ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

Providing a wide range of funding opportunities, the foundation has multiple priorities when considering applications for grant funding for example; connecting people with nature, large-scale conservation of natural environments on land and at sea, countering the effects of damaging human activities, lesser known plants, animals and organisms and art as an instrument for social change, community cohesion or participation. It will also fund community and arts focussed projects https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/

Arts

GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION

The Foundation supports a broad range of organisations and activities that share a commitment to making a positive impact to the lives of the communities in which they work, and that are driven by a desire to achieve excellence. It  makes grants across the UK to organisations in the following categories: Arts, Education, Youth, Health, Community, Environment, Religion, and Welfare. Grants of between £20,000 to £2.5 million are available http://www.garfieldweston.org/how-to-apply/application-process/

THE GEOFFREY WATLING CHARITY

The Geoffrey Watling Charity offers grants to charitable organisations in the County of Norfolk and the Waveney District of Suffolk. Funding can assist charitable organisations working locally in the following areas: Social and Welfare, Churches and Historic buildings, Education and Arts, Environment, Medical, Sporting. http://www.geoffreywatling.org.uk/apply

THE JOHN JARROLD TRUST

The John Jarrold Trust is a charitable trust which is local to Norfolk. It supports causes in the following categories: the arts, welfare and community, education, medical and health, churches and historic buildings, the environment and developing countries. The size of the grants the Trust awards are at the Trustees discretion http://www.jarrold.com/content/jjtrust.asp.

PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION

PHF is interested in ensuring that a wider and more diverse group of people have access to quality artistic practice. We want to use our funding to support organisations to test, implement and develop ambitious plans to widen access to and deepen participation in the arts. It will not be enough to simply increase numbers – our emphasis is on addressing inequalities of opportunity and creating space to step back and look at the systemic problems preventing participation. We want to help organisations to build stronger evidence about what works so that they can improve practice and achieve greater impact.

PHF will consider applications for:

• New ways of working, or work with new audiences and participants that aim to uncover alternative models of engagement – together with a strong commitment to learning about these approaches and sharing your learning
• Work that involves any of the following: crafts, dance, design, digital arts and media, film, literature (including creative writing and poetry), music, opera, photography, theatre, the visual arts, and cross-arts practices
• Work that is focused on improving access to the arts as a social good in itself, promoting enjoyment, increased attendance and participation by people facing disadvantage and inequality of access
• Work that is focused on increasing arts access for people who may face barriers to participation due to disability or a health condition.
• For detailed guidance on our current approach to supporting arts and health initiatives, please see ‘What won’t we fund’
• Work that uses access to and participation in the arts to promote social justice (e.g. by achieving outcomes such as personal development, employability, educational attainment, social development, community cohesion, well-being, etc.)
• Work that develops excellence in participatory practice
• Work that supports organisations to embed digital solutions in widening access and participation in the arts.

Offers grants of up to £600,000. http://www.phf.org.uk/funds/access-and-participation-fund/

Biffa Awards 2022 Grant Scheme

FUNDING FOR LARGE SCALE PROJECTS

We are currently accepting expressions of interest in our 2022 Partnership Grants Scheme for both Built Environment and Natural Environment themes.

The deadline for all expressions of interest will be 1 June 2022, with both themes being considered by the board at the same time.

Partnership Grants Scheme Overview

Built Environment projects should restore, modernise and/or improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres. The facility should be inclusive and promote learning, curiosity and participation to large numbers of visitors on a national scale.

Natural Environment projects should restore and/or improve the environment and the natural systems or habitats that support it. Projects should be working to Biodiversity 2020: A Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services, its predecessor or a Local Biodiversity Action Plan.

You should consider the natural environment and ways to mitigate the impact your project will have both during project delivery and after funded works are complete, for example by employing local tradespeople, using sustainable materials, recycling existing components, reducing energy consumption or reducing carbon footprint.

If you are interested in applying for Partnership Grants Scheme funding, please read our Guidance Notes.

Deadline:

Online Expression of Interest: 1 June 2022

Funding decision to be made November 2022