Hi there, here is June’s update!
I’ve just got back from a much needed break in my trusty old (very old) campervan called Lester. I headed up to Cononley, which is in between Keighley and Skipton, for a 2 night break meeting others who own the same type of van as mine. Mine was the oldest…
I left feeling inspired by a lovely bunch of people who between then gave me lots of tips on how to fix the ever growing list of things that need fixing on my van! All sharing their knowledge, and experience freely, and relishing the opportunity of finding solutions to tricky challenges!
Sounds very much like our third sector and grant writing communities!
Here’s my contribution for this month.
Remember – you can also join the Free Facebook Group: Straight Forward Funding Sources (and Resources) for further news.
#SpotLight
Our Creative Connection have a new online course starting on the 9th June
‘A Portrait of a Powerful Community’
This course brings together Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Photovoice in a practical and reflective learning space. It’s a partnership between Our Creative Connection and Nurture Development, and will be co-facilitated by Chris Chinnock and Cormac Russell.
Who it’s for
The course is designed for people working in communities who want to use creative, strengths-based approaches to support participation and meaningful change.
What’s included
- Self-paced learning materials (short videos, tools, and reflection prompts)
- Three live Zoom sessions to connect and explore ideas together:
- Monday 9th June, 2:00–3:30pm
- Monday 30th June, 2:00–3:30pm
- Monday 22nd September, 2:00–3:30pm
- Practical tools you can use in your work right away
- Real-life stories, examples, and Photovoice-based activities
- Ongoing access to webinars throughout the year
We’ll also explore how these tools can help create a “treasure map” of local strengths, surfacing what’s already working, what people care about, and what matters most.
How to join
The course is hosted on the Community Renewal learning platform or for more information contact hello@ourcreativeconnection.org
If your organisation has an offer you would like me to share to my entire mailing list – please just reply to this email and let me know
And before we jump into the grant funding round up –
Would you like a bit of extra help with preparing, creating and submitting your funding applications?
Take a look at the Straight Forward Funding Membership Programme.
Low cost, high impact support delivered on a month to month basis – no contracts, no commitment, a simple ‘pay as you go’ process.
Open now to new members.
Find out more here
#FundingNews
The Memorial Grant Scheme gives grants towards VAT on the construction, repair and maintenance of public memorial structures, for work which took place on or after 16 March 2005. This is a UK-wide grant, available for memorials in any part of the UK (or overseas memorials in some circumstances).
If you are a registered charity or a faith group ‘excepted’ from registering as a charity, this grant can help you with the cost of works like repairing and cleaning public memorials or installing a new memorial.
The deadline for applications to be reviewed in this round of funding is 23:55 on Monday 30 June 2025.
Family Fund Your Opportunity grant programme has reopened.
As household costs continue to rise, Your Opportunity grants help families meet the significant extra costs of caring. Flexible grants tailored for disabled young adults can help fund items like white goods, technology, clothing, clubs and memberships and much more.
Your Opportunity is a dedicated grant programme which aims to enhance the life of disabled, or seriously ill, young adults, aged 18 to 24 years old, living at home. Young people cannot apply on their own but applications should come from parents or carers.
Music for All is offering small grants to local organisations using music making to support people living with dementia and their carers. This is only open to applicants working with underrepresented communities, including those from racially minoritised communities throughout the UK.
Funds can be used to support any type of ensemble including choirs, drumming circles or informal groups and should be put towards the purchase of instruments, equipment, specialised support/teaching/coaching/leading specifically designed to support the establishment and/or continuation of music groups for these groups. A grant of up to £2000 is available for this award.
Applications (and witness statement forms) should be received by no later than 8am on Monday 16th June 2025.
Rosa Rise Fund provides organisational development funding for Black and racially minoritised-led women’s and girls’ organisations across the UK.
Through this fund, they offer two-year grants of up to £40,000 to organisations with an income of between £30,000 and £300,000.
The funding is for organisational development work relating to areas such as strategy, governance, leadership, alliances and partnerships, funding, demonstrating impact and systems and processes.
This fund is for not-for-profit women’s and girls’ organisations which are led by and for Black and racially minoritised women, that have an income of between £30,000 and £300,000 (from their last set of signed annual accounts).
Application Deadline: 23/06/2025
Grant Sizes: Up to £40,000
Rosa will be hosting ‘How to Apply’ webinars to help applicants develop their applications. Links to register are on their website.
12.00 – 13.00 Thursday 5th June
16.30 – 17.30 Tuesday 10th June
#Just for Schools
The Edina Trust offers £800 primary school science grants and £550 nursery science grants. Schools can use their grants for science resources, gardening equipment, science weeks, science subscriptions, science visits (into or out of school) and improving school grounds for science.
The Small Grant Scheme runs in each area for three years, before moving on to a new area. Check the website for current areas.
#Useful Stuff
Small Charity Week takes place Monday 23 – Saturday 28 June 2025
“Small Charity Week is a campaign to empower the UK’s small charities to have an even greater impact on society, and to address the challenges they face.”
“Throughout the week, we provide training and events for small charities, and create a national conversation about the vital role of small charities in strengthening communities across the UK. Because when small charities are stronger, the communities they support are stronger too.”
CAF have published the 2025 UK Local Giving Report and it makes for interesting reading. Here are a few of the conclusions they made:
- The places with the highest levels of need have the fewest charities registered in the area and the lowest donation levels.
- Those places where people are the least generous are some of the richest in the country.
- While places with the fewest donors are deprived, not all deprived areas have few donors.
To find out how they reached those conclusions – download the report here
AI for Social Good: Amplify Your Impact, Reduce Your Workload
Join Street Support Network (a member of CAST’s Digital Leads Network AI Peer Group) next month, to hear how they are using AI to cut down admin, make fundraising simpler, and build more trust in the information people rely on every day.
A 90-minute virtual presentation on how social impact organisations can use AI to serve more people, more effectively Thursday 26th June, 10.30am
#Before I go
Are you making the most of my free resources? Use these links to receive my:
Schools and Education free termly newsletter
Visit my resources page for a host of free tools and resources
‘Straight Forward Funding Resources’ Facebook Group, where I post more info about funding, along with any useful information and resources.
See you next month!