The following funding opportunities do not have employment and skills as their main focus. Funding may be available for some projects relevant to the delivery of the FRESA but the funders' overall strategic aims are likely to be different.

Awards for All
This funding is focused on community development. It aims to improve quality of life by supporting local projects that improve people's opportunities, welfare, environment or local facilities. It aims to increase skills and creativity by supporting activities which help to develop people and organisations, encourage talent and raise standards. Projects providing employment training and careers guidance have successfully obtained funding in the past.

The funding is available throughout the region and grants range from £500 to £5,000.

For more information see www.awardsforall.org.uk

Community Fund - Research Grant Programme
This funding aims to help the voluntary sector to develop innovative responses to today's issues and to address the issues of tomorrow by funding high quality research into health and social well-being. The programme funds research to promote social inclusion and to address the long-term needs of the most disadvantaged members of society.

The funding is available throughout the region and typical grants range from £500 to £150,000.

For more information see
www.c-f.org.uk/about-us/our-grants-programmes/research/index.html

Comic Relief - UK Grants Programme
This funding aims to tackle poverty and promote social justice by helping people make lasting, positive changes in their lives and their communities. It offers access to education for refugees and asylum seekers and support for community employment projects.

The funding is available nationally and there are 2 types of grants available, under £5,000 and over £5,000. Grants over £5,000 will not exceed £90,000.

For more information see www.comicrelief.com


The Chelsea Building Society Charitable Foundation
The Foundation aims to give help to relieve suffering and disadvantage and to benefit local communities. Funds are allocated to priority groups including:

- The disadvantaged
- The elderly
- Those with learning difficulties
- The disabled

Donations are usually made only to charities operating within approximately 10 miles of a Chelsea Building Society branch office (Norfolk and Suffolk).

For further information see www.thechelsea-charity-foundation.co.uk

The Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust
The Trust is generally prepared to consider projects of any type from UK registered charities. Grants generally range between £2-£3,000 and can be awarded on a reoccurring or one-off basis for revenue or capital purposes.

For further information see www.peter.shone.btinternet.co.uk/GHMCT1.htm


The Dorothy Gertrude Allen Memorial Fund
The Trust is generally prepared to consider projects of any type from UK registered charities. Grants generally range between £2-£3,000 and can be awarded on a reoccurring or one-off basis for revenue or capital purposes.

For further information see http://www.rdfunding.org.uk/Queries/ListCharityDetails.asp?CharityID=1124


The Small Firms Loan Guarantee
The SFLG guarantees loans from banks and other financial institutions for small firms that have viable business proposals but who have tried and failed to get a conventional loan because of lack of security.

The scheme provides guarantees to approved lenders for loans of between £5,000 and £10,000 for start up and young businesses and between £5,000 and £250,000 for older businesses, guaranteeing 75% of the loan.

For further details see www.dti.gov.uk/sflg/


The Alderman Newton's Educational Foundation
The Foundation offers one-off grants to young people (13-25) who live in the urban are of Bedford. Grants are awarded to contribute towards the cost of books for schoolchildren and students in Further and Higher Education. Grants are also given towards the cost of equipment and clothing for people training for work.

For further details contact David Baker on 01234 227203.


Norfolk Council for Voluntary Youth Services
A range of funding is available for youth organisations, youth groups, youth workers and young people in Norfolk. Grants of £250 are available to help groups delivering youth work or social education to 11-21 year olds to get started or to support the training of youth workers in voluntary organisations.

Grants are also available to support individual young people and for organisations' administration such as newsletters, mailings, printing, stationary etc.

For further details see www.norfolkcvys.org.uk


Community Champions Fund
This funding offers small grants (up to £2,000) to individuals who want to make a difference in their communities. The purpose of the fund is to support those individuals who have already shown leadership in stimulating community activity or have ideas for encouraging community activity. The fund also aims to encourage older (50+) volunteers to get involved in helping their communities.

For further details see www.dfes.gov.uk/communitychampions/

Ford Britain Trust
The Ford Britain Trust makes donations to undertakings concerned with the advancement of education and other charitable purposes. Preference is given to registered charities (or similar) located in and working in areas in close proximity to Ford's locations in the UK, which includes Essex. Special attention is given to projects concerned with education, environment, children, the disabled, youth activities and projects that will provide clear benefits to local communities.

Grants made by the Trust are usually one-off donations for a specific capital project or part of a project, typically items of furniture and equipment. Grants normally range between £100 and £5,000.

For further details see http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/fob_trust/-/fob_trust_guide/-/-/-/-


Philip Henman Trust
The Philip Henman Trust offers a small amount of one-off grants, up to £1,000. These grants are aimed at UK-based charities working with children and young people (under 25) within the UK.

For further details see http://www.djclark.com/pht/one.html

The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Garfield Weston Foundation offers grants of varying sizes. They have helped numerous projects, including those in the following categories: Arts, Community, Education, Welfare, Medical, Social, Religion, Youth and Environment.

For further details see www.garfieldweston.org

Changemakers - Y Speak
The Y SPEAK Consultation Fund is a government funded scheme which supports the involvement of young people in decision-making at national, regional and local levels and helps to ensure that they have a say in the policies and services that affect them.

Grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 (for national and international projects) are available for organisations and grants of between £1,000 and £4,000 (national and international) are available for youth led projects.

For further details see - http://www.changemakers.org.uk/y_speak.html

Renaissance East of England
This funding opportunity is to be used as a form of grant aid to support access projects in museums. A total of £40,000 has been made available over a two year period for 2004/06 and up to £4,000 can be granted per museum.

The idea is to build up a body of projects addressing a wide range of disability issues, across a wide range of museum types in the region.

for further details see - http://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/default.asp?Document=900.410.020.10


Field of Culture
This European funding opportunity provides annual operating grants to support the conduct of permanent work programmes of organisations or networks promoting European Culture and cooperation in the culture sector and making a contribution to cultural life and the management culture. The deadline for this opportunity is 28 October 2005.

For further details of this opportunity see - http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/other_actions/support_eur_org/form_sup_en.html


The Baring Foundation
This funding aims to improve the quality of life of people suffering disadvantage and discrimination. This opportunity is available to national organisations (England and/or Wales).

For further details of this opportunity see - http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/

Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity - Biffaward
The aim of this opportunity is to support projects that show an innovative use of a community amenity to enhance, maintain or introduce real community led social, economic or environmental improvements.

For further details of this opportunity see - http://www.bedsrcc.org.uk/biffaward/index.htm

If you are a member of a voluntary/ community organisations and looking for funding to train members of your own organisation, you may find the following sources of funding useful:

Fast Track Fund - Charities Aid Foundation
This funding aims to support UK based, charitable organisations that need immediate funding for specific training to develop or expand. It aims to help with training that will strengthen an organisation's structure, in terms of financial management, fundraising, or issues relating to governance. The training may be received by staff, volunteers or members of management committees.

The funding is available nationally and grants do not exceed £600.

For more information see www.cafonline.org/uk


Bedford Kempston Regeneration Partnership
This programme offers a range of support to help the long term sustainability of groups either located in Queens Park, Cauldwell, Kingsbrook or Shortstown or projects which primarily benefit these communities.

Projects can receive grants for up to £2,000. Funding is available for activities that directly increase the capacity and skills of community groups. Examples of support include training courses, stationary start up packs for new groups, books and IT equipment.

For more information see www.bedford.gov.uk or www.home.btconnect.com/BFAB/FundingInfo

The Leadership Trust Foundation - Bursary Award Scheme
The Foundation awards bursaries to individuals from not for profit organisations to attend a Leadership Trust Foundation training programme. Organisational Grants are also available for projects which focus on the provision of personal development opportunities for young people across the UK.

For further information contact the Foundation at grants@leadership.co.uk