News & Developments

This is an opportunity to discuss issues specific to small charities and get their voice heard.

The four major themes of the conversation are: 

• Vibrant Communities 
• Addressing Disadvantage 
• Working Together 
• Stronger Sector 

Your views and ideas will help influence how the Big Lottery Fund can make the biggest difference for people and communities in the UK, focusing specifically on the issues facing small charities.

The conversation is open until July 2014. You can join the conversation at: yourvoiceourvision.org.uk

Community Grants give voluntary and community groups an opportunity to access funding to undertake innovative activity to engage and progress unemployed or economically inactive people.  Projects should provide an opportunity for people to engage in activities to learn, develop skills and confidence to help them progress towards; getting a job, further learning or volunteering.   

Applying for a grant

If you are a community or voluntary group and you want to apply for a grant there will be three opportunities throughout the year.

Round One - now closed

Round Two - opened on the 2 June 2014.  

Application packs can be requested up to 4.00pm on 20 June 2014 and completed applications must be received by 4.00pm on 27 June 2014.  Applications received after the deadline will not be included. To apply for a pack please send an email to comm.grant.apply@futuresadvice.co.uk 

Round Three will be September, dates and detail to follow.

Please note: the application guidance and application form will be specific to each round. 

Roadshows - To give you the opportunity to find out more, there will be a series of roadshows across the East Midlands:  Derbyshire 11 June 2014 9:30am - 11:00am Derwent Stepping Stones, St Mark's Rd, Derby DE21 6AH

To register for an event in your area send an email to comm.grant.apply@futuresadvice.co.uk. If you were successful in bidding for Round one of the Community Grant Fund, you cannot reapply until Round three.

The survey is at www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSNQ8LXb (the link takes a few seconds to open).

Response deadline is 27th June 2014, but better still DO IT NOW!

It is vital that there is a credible base on which to develop the new application for funding. 

If you would like additional information please contact: Amanda Brown 01629 538475 Amanda.brown2@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Many people who look after partners, relatives and friends because they are ill or have disabilities do not recognise themselves as carers. This means they can often neglect their own personal needs as they put their responsibilities to others first. 

DCC are backing a series of events which are being run during Carers' Week by Derbyshire Carers' Association. These events are free for carers to attend.  

Details of the events can be found on the DCC website

The Trust has 4,000 packs of trees to give away this autumn. They come in three sizes – 30 saplings, 105 saplings and 420 saplings in various themes (hedge, copse, wildlife, wild harvest, year-round colour, working wood, wild wood and wetland).

You can apply for more than one pack and theme with 420 saplings being the maximum quantity. If you’re interested in planting on a larger scale or on private land their MORE woods scheme might be of interest - the scheme will cover up to 60 per cent of the cost and landowners are being urged to sign up now. 

The deadline for applications is 4 September 2014, but groups are being advised to apply sooner rather than later

Further information www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/in-your-community/

The Buxton Twin Peaks Challenge is a "Moonlight Sponsored Walk” which you, your colleagues, family or friends can enter to help fund a project that is important to you or your group.  

The "Challenge” requires you or your team, setting off at 10pm to walk from the Pavilion Gardens to Solomon’s Temple, then onwards to Corbar Cross and back to finish at approximately midnight at the Buckingham Hotel.  Buxton Lions are providing the support to this event and will be marshalling the route to guide those people who have entered.

Application and sponsor forms are available from www.buxtonlions.com or www.facebook.com/buxtondistrictlions or twitter @twinpeakswalk  

The cost to enter is again £10 and all the sponsor money you raise goes to your nominated charity.  Don’t forget to register so that there are enough torches to light your way around the course.

The fund, which is believed to be worth around 40 million pounds, will be open for bids from April 2015 and will run for one year.  The VCS can feed into NCVO’s response to the consultation, which closes on Thursday 24 July.

In partucular, NCVO would like respondents to focus on the following key questions:

Who should the fund support? As the fund will be quite small, resources need to be targeted at those organisations that need it most. Who should be eligible for funding? What parts of the voluntary sector most need help adapting to changing times?

What kind of support do charities need? The consultation proposes funding to help organisations cut costs, identify new sources of funding, build capacity and analyse future needs. But are there other areas where charities might need support e.g. governance?

Where is support most needed? The fund will be open to organisations across England, but as the consultation document points out, different parts of the country have different needs. How can the fund reflect that and find ways to support organisations in these areas?

How do we identify those that need support? Charities that are most in need of support are unlikely to have the time or resources to devote to applying for this fund. How do we make sure that these charities can access the fund? Should local actors such as VCSs, LEPs and local councils help identify those that need support?

To feed into NCVO’s response email Andrew.Obrien@ncvo.org.uk or leave comments at blogs.ncvo.org.uk/2014/05/12/an-open-call-for-ideas-for-new-cabinet-office-fund/#comments

NCVO state that charities wanting to pay the living wage are unable to do so because competitive tendering for public service contracts is driving wages down, particularly in fields such as social care.

Citing the Living Wage Commission’s finding that the Treasury could save between £3.6billion and £6billion per year if everyone was paid the living wage, NCVO state that ensuring that commissioners understand the social and economic benefits of paying a living wage would make a real difference.

It recommends that spending settlements for local government and public bodies should reflect the costs of paying the living wage, recognising that this will reduce expenditure elsewhere on tax credits and benefits.

The manifesto also warns that the short-term approach to spending is failing communities and that the next government should prioritise preventative spending to address social problems and save money in the longer term.

Other recommendations for the next government include:

• Creating a Centre for Social Value to support commissioners and charities implementing the Social Value Act;
• Simplifying the under-used gift aid small donations scheme so that it is open to all charities registered to receive gift aid;
• Establish a Paralympic legacy fund to help people with disabilities to volunteer; and
• Continue match-funding incentives for philanthropy through community foundations.

For further information and to download the manifesto visit their website

The three umbrella bodies launched the review after HM Revenue & Customs published data showing the scheme has raised only £7million.

The survey aims to discover whether respondents have made a claim under the scheme, and what problems and barriers they have encountered. Information collected will be used to lobby for changes to the scheme to make it easier for charities to use.

The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme allows charities to claim a gift aid-like relief of up to £1,250 a year on £5,000 of small cash donations even if they do not have the usual gift aid paperwork.

But to do so a charity must already have claimed gift aid for two of the last four years, must claim gift aid in the same year as making a Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme claim, must have a good record with HM Revenue & Customs, and must not be connected to another charity by having the same trustee board.

To take part in the survey visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/23LRGFW

The Law Centre provides free legal advice, assistance and representation service to individuals and families across the county from its new main office in Chesterfield as well as from seven branch and outreach offices across Derbyshire. The offices in Bolsover, Buxton, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Matlock, Ripley and Staveley are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm. 

Derbyshire Law Centre specialises in debt, employment, housing and homelessness, immigration, mortgage repossessions and tackling hate and harassment. Individuals can contact the Law Centre on 01246 550674 and for free legal advice call freephone: 0800 707 6990.