Funding Central (www.fundingcentral.org.uk) is a free smart website for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The site provides access to thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and resources supporting organisations to develop sustainable income strategies appropriate to their needs.

This Creative Leicestershire toolkit has been developed to help you find funders and write good bids. Step 2 of the toolkit is a searchable database of local funders. See www.fundingtoolkit.org

The Arts Council England has announced that the next deadline for applications under its "Unlimited Commissions" scheme is the 18th April 2011. The scheme, which is supported by London 2012, the UK Arts Councils and the British Council aims to commission new work that is artistically led by disabled artists and celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Grants of between £25,000 and £50,000 are available to disabled and Deaf artists, and disabled and Deaf-led arts organisations, who wish to develop their work, strengthen their artistic practice, challenge perceptions and forge new partnerships with presenting venues and events. For more information visit: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/unlimited/

The Golsoncott Foundation aims to promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the arts generally and in particular the fine arts and music. This includes providing access to the arts for young people and developing new audiences. Grants vary according to context and are not subject to an inflexible limit, but they are unlikely to exceed £5,000 and are normally given on a non-recurrent basis. The Trustees meet on a quarterly basis (February, May, August and November) to determine applications.

All applications for awards should be sent by post by the end of the month preceding the month of the Trustees meeting, and should include the following:

• a clear and concise statement of the project;

• whether the award sought will be for the whole project or a component part;

• whether the applicant organisation is of charitable status;

• evidence that there is a clear benefit to the public;

• the amount requested should be specified;

• whether this is the only source of funding being sought (if not, all other sources of funding should be indicated, including those that have refused funding).

Wherever possible an annual report and accounts should accompany the application along with any other supporting information deemed relevant. For more details write to the Golsoncott Foundation, 53 St Leonard’s Road, Exeter EX2 4LS or phone 01392 252855.

Youth Music, the UK’s largest children’s music charity, Open Programme provides grants of between £5,000 and £30,000. It aims to increase the number of children and young people with access to high quality, sustainable music making activities across England. 

The Open Programme targets nearly £2m annually of Youth Music’s funding towards projects that support our goals of:

• Early Years – advancing the learning and development of all children in their early years (0-5) by aiming to ensure universal access to high quality music making in England
• Challenging Circumstances* – improving the life chances of children and young people in the most challenging circumstances by supporting them to achieve their full potential through engagement and progression in music making
• Encouraging Talent and Potential – realising the musical talent and potential of children and young people by ensuring opportunity for all to develop their talent regardless of background or chosen genre
• Workforce Development – enabling the highest quality music making by developing a diverse, highly skilled and inspirational workforce

To be eligible to apply, you must:
• Be a not-for-profit organisation
• Have been legally constituted for more than one year
• Have at least one year’s set of accounts, that demonstrate that your organisation has provided activities to its user groups for at least one year
• Be based in England
• Have a child protection policy and equal opportunities policy
• Have employers and public liability insurance to run your project

For more information go to www.youthmusic.org.uk/looking_for_music_funding.html

 

The Young Film Fund's Script Grant, administered by First Light, gives organisations the opportunity to run inspiring filmmaking projects for young people aged 5 to 19 by funding the initial idea stage. This grant scheme aims to support collaborative work between young people and script professionals in order to produce quality short film scripts. It is imperative that young people are central to this process and are afforded the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence. The maximum grant available is £3,000.

Preference will be given to projects with a clear and effective approach to partnership work and a development process that will involve and inspire the young people participating. Films may cover a range of topics, including those most relevant to young people. The most common themes are drugs and alcohol, pregnancy, bullying, identity and asylum. As a result, any proposals based on these themes will need to demonstrate an innovative approach in order to increase their chances of selection.

For further information, visit: http://www.firstlightonline.co.uk/fundingstream/young-film-fund

The Ford Britain Trust provides grants for the advancement of education and other charitable purposes beneficial to those areas where the Ford Motor Company Limited has its present activities and a long standing association with local communities. These are Essex, South Wales, Southampton and Daventry.
Grant applications supporting the following activities will be considered:
• work that has clear benefits to the local community/environment
• work with young people/children
• education/schools (mainstream)
• special education needs
• people with disabilities.
The Trust will accept applications from registered charities; Schools/PTAs (Non-fee paying, state sector schools only); and non profit organisations. 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.
There are two types of grants to apply for:
• Small grants for amounts up to £250
• Large grants for amounts over £250 and usually up to a maximum of £3,000.
The application deadline for small grants is 1st June 2011 and for large grants the 3rd May 2011. For more information go to www.ford.co.uk/fbtrust

Following a review and revision of its funding guidelines, the J Paul Getty Junior Charitable Trust has re-opened for grant applications. Under the new guidelines the Trust will make grants of up to £250,000 in the areas of social welfare as well as the arts and heritage. In particular, the trust is seeking to support projects in the areas of:

• reducing re-offending


• improving the prospects of young people, refugees and asylum seekers


• integrating different social and ethnic groups


• tackling substance misuse and homelessness


• preserving heritage


• sustaining the arts.

Applications can be made at any time. For more information visit: http://www.jpgettytrust.org.uk/index.html