Update on the Big Lottery Funding
Dear colleagues,
Following the attendance of the Lottery Officers Forum last week BIG Lottery are making some adjustments to cater for Voluntary and Community Organisation.
I attach two press releases from the Lottery (attachments 1 and 2) the last one may prove significantly more important in the long run. Both of these funds are what are known at Targeted funds i.e. open for a short space of time where competition is high. The Worcestershire Partnership has significant experience of applying for and being successful at attracting funding for Worcestershire this way and I envisage an application being submitted once the launch material and date has been agreed by the BIG Lottery.
The third attachment gives vital information to the changes to the Reaching Communities pot. In essence Reaching Communities is the larger pot to the well known Awards for All. Previously it has been very bureaucratic with a application from £10,000 - £500,000 all being treated the same. Now the fund has 2 different elements the first application process for those seeking funds from £10,000 - £40,000 will be somewhat easier with applicants finding out in weeks (not months) as to if they have been successful. This is a huge step forward and should make it easier for the majority of applications to draw in funding and especially those from Voluntary and Community sectors, additionally they have dropped the need for SMART outcomes so to make the process easier.
Please feel free to forward on this information as you deem appropriate.
As always the Worcestershire Partnership is here to help and assist in any way possible... Further funding information on generic programmes can be found at the Worcestershire Partnership website and follow the GRANT FINDER links.
Many kind regards.
Peter MacKenzie-Shaw
Worcestershire Partnership
Funding and Resources Manager
External: 01905 728738
Mobile: 07703098012