Big Lottery Fund are making additional funding available for staff and Trustees to develop their skills. Reaching Communities applicants can apply for up to 10% of the total grant applied for, with a maximum of £15k (this is in addition to funding for evaluation, overheads etc.) The money is intended to support organisations to become more sustainable and doesn’t have to be spent on the project you are applying for.
To be eligible for this extra funding, organisations must have been successful at stage one of the Reaching Communities application process. The money needs to be spent by the end of the first year of your project and you do not need to state on the second stage application form what the money will be spent on.
The funding can be used to fund:
- An organisational strength review, all organisations must carry out an organisational review either themselves or via a third party. The review needs to be completed within the first three months of your Reaching Communities project.
- Training and support – in response to the strength review e.g. in governance, consulting with service users, strategic planning, fundraising and monitoring and evaluation skills
- Staff costs and expenses associated with training and development e.g. temporarily extending part-time hours
- Support tools e.g. accounting packages or a new website
For further information please see this link: BLF Reaching Communities – Extra Funding
If you would like to speak further about this opportunity and/or you would like our help in drafting an application to Big Lottery Fund Reaching Communities then please do contact one of our team on 01394 610581.
