Leicestershire Ukrainian Community Grant Fund

Leicestershire County Council is committed to supporting and improving the wellbeing, quality of life and social integration of Ukrainian guests and families living in Leicestershire. The Leicestershire Ukrainian Community Grant Fund is a mechanism for helping to achieve these aims and helping Ukrainian families to integrate and thrive in Leicestershire.

VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) sector organisations can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to deliver community-based projects, services and activities which are specifically targeted at improving the opportunities, wellbeing and social integration of Ukrainian families in Leicestershire. One of the priorities of the fund is to promote health, wellbeing and quality of life.

The Round 1 deadline for applications is Wednesday 30th October at 5:00pm.

Crowdfund Leicester: Community Engagement Fund

Through the Community Engagement Fund, the City Mayor is looking to fund activities, initiatives and projects that can make a real difference to the quality of life for communities across Leicester, particularly those that are normally considered "underserved", "hard to reach" or "difficult to engage".

Pledges up to £3,000 are available per project, stretching up to £10,000 for very large and ambitious projects. For most projects, the pledges will be around 33% of their crowdfunding target. In exceptional circumstances, the City Mayor may pledge up to 50% of your target. Groups therefore need to be aware that you will have to run an engaging crowdfunding campaign and gain the support of the public to hit your target.

The Autumn funding round is now open with a deadline of Wednesday 30th October to have your project ready and to start your crowdfunding campaign.

Funding available for flood-damaged facilities

The Sport England Movement Fund offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most. The fund is currently open, and is now also accepting applications for emergency flood relief support from organisations affected by the recent storms across England (September/October 2024). Sport England will prioritise supporting sports and activities that need to recover quickly. Spring and summer sports, or where activity is not scheduled to take place for several weeks, will be a lower priority.

Asda Foundation Grants

The Asda Foundation has 3 community grants currently open to applications:

All 3 grants have a deadline of Friday 8^th November.

Miller Homes Community Fund

Groups can apply for a donation from the Miller Homes Community Fund, ranging between a minimum of £250 up to a maximum of £2,000 to help enhance the lives of individuals and the areas in which they live. The fund will focus on causes that:are linked to education; promote wellbeingpromote the environment; or encourage participation in sport.

Applications can be submitted year-round; however, awards will be made twice a year in June and November. The current deadline for applications is Monday 28 October.

Energy Efficiency Crowdfunder

Energy Efficiency Sharematch will support Co-operative Societies, Community Benefit Societies and Charitable Community Benefit Societies based in England to undertake activities which reduce their energy usage, or identify alternative sources of energy, leading to a reduction of both the organisation's carbon footprint and energy bills. These activities could include but are not limited to:

The scheme will provide grant funding to match money raised in community shares. The grant funding is intended to accelerate the speed and amount raised from the community.

The Fund will run until March 2025, with the ambition to award all funds before this time.

East Midlands Sport Welfare Forum launched

Our new Active Together Sport Welfare Officer, Gillian Haluch, is working in partnership with other Sport Welfare Officers from across the East Midlands to provide the best support and guidance to club welfare officers, coaches, committee members and volunteers across sports and physical activity organisations in the region.

The East Midlands Sports Welfare Forum on Facebook is a space for Club Welfare and Safeguarding Officers, coaches, committee members and anyone volunteering or working in sports or physical activity clubs to come together to learn and share best practice.

You can also join the new East Midlands Sport Welfare Officers for an introductory webinar on Wednesday 6th November, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, and learn what they can do to support sports clubs and physical activity organisations in the region. There will be an opportunity to suggest future safeguarding and welfare themes, and a special guest from DBS will be there to talk about the DBS Safer Sport Campaign and free workshops on offer.

Get Grants FREE Workshops

Get Grants give the opportunity to come together with fundraisers across the UK to be inspired with top tips and advice from Get Grants Experts. Get Grants FREE Introduction Workshops have been running since 2022 and include Meet the Funder Events, FREE Introduction Workshops, and Monthly Virtual Fundraisers Networking Events that bring fundraisers together to access friendly peer-support from the UK-wide Get Grants Community.

Each 1hr Workshop will focus on a different topic of Fundraising and will be led by fantastic Expert Trainers themselves, giving you a taster of each of the training courses. At each event, attendees will be entered into a prize draw to win one of 3 FREE places on one of the full training courses. All of the Get Grants Introduction Workshops are FREE and can be booked via Eventbrite.

Benefact Group Funding and Resources

Benefact Group's giving goes beyond financial donations – they offer a range of support and resources to help your charity / organisation. From raising funds and managing volunteers to measuring your impact. Their resources will help improve your organisation's sustainability and resilience. There are a range of online resources and webinar recordings that are free and easily accessible, with experts from across the sector providing advice on topics requested by you. Explore webinars, articles, reports and more.

FREE Sudden Cardiac Arrest eLearning

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) could happen to anyone, at any time, with approximately 60,000 SCAs happening within the community every year in the UK. UK Coaching has produced a free, life-saving eLearning course is packed with immersive and scenario-based learning, practical information and tips to help you respond quickly and appropriately to a sudden cardiac arrest. It has been developed in collaboration with Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance and Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, and funded by Sport England. The course is for anyone involved in sports and physical activity including coaches, personal trainers, club organisers, referees, volunteers, parents, participants and spectators. Anyone can access the course on their website.

Your views

The latest Buddle resource 'Your views' is now live! The guidance includes a question bank designed to help anyone supporting an organisation, including the committee, board or leadership team, to gain a 360-degree understanding of:

Organisations can tailor the questions to suit their needs and choose from open answers or fun emoji-based responses! This can also support your community consultation for funding applications.

Working with facility providers

Schools can offer a great venue option for physical activity and community organisations. Buddle has produced a webpage on working with facility providers to help your networks navigate key questions and considerations when approaching schools, such as:

Website launched to help Voluntary Organisations open and manage bank accounts

Banking trade association UK Finance has launched a website to support Voluntary Organisations opening and managing bank accounts after many reported experiencing difficulties with financial services. The new website features a free account finder tool, step-by-step guide and frequently asked questions to help charities find the best account for their needs.