Poverty and Inclusion Programme

Barrow Cadbury Trust Grassroots Grant Criteria

 

Introduction

In line with our historical roots, many of the projects that we will fund are in the West Midlands, particularly Birmingham and the Black Country (Wolverhampton, Dudley, West Bromwich, Smethwick, Sandwell). This area remains a priority for grassroots funding for the Trust.

Availability of funds will always dictate what grants we are able to make but we will try to ensure a fair geographic spread. Whilst our primary focus is on Birmingham and the West Midlands we will consider applications from elsewhere under some programmes. Please refer to the specific grant programme criteria to see what geographic areas are covered.

Barrow Cadbury Trust is a medium sized foundation and we will always receive more applications than we are able to fund. Even if your organisation is eligible and the project meets our criteria, your application may not be successful. Assessments are based on the grant criteria but decisions will be influenced by the finance available and the overall profile of our grant making through the year.

If you would like to speak to a member of the grants team prior to submitting your proposal please contact Asma Aroui on 020 7632 9068 or a.aroui@barrowcadbury.org.uk

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The application process

  1. We do not have an application form, however we have set out some questions that we would like you to address in any proposal that you send to us. Please refer to the Section ‘Preparing your outline proposal’

  2. Before you apply to us you should check whether your organisation is eligible, to apply and use the checklist to make sure that your proposal does not fall within our ‘exclusions’ section. Please also refer to the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for additional information about our grant making.

  3. Once you are sure your organisation and project is eligible go to our grant criteria section and use the guidance there to develop a two – three page proposal. You do not need to send us any further information at this stage.

  4. The grants team will assess your application and contact you. We aim to make initial contact with you within one month of receiving your proposal. If we decide to proceed further with your proposal we will work with you to develop the application.

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Organisational eligibility to apply

  • Our priority is to fund grassroots, user-led projects.

  • Before any grant can be awarded we will expect you to have a formal structure and governing documents but you do not have to be a registered charity or incorporated charitable company (see below.)

  • Before any grant can be awarded you will need to have a bank account in your own name (see below).

  • If at the time of the application you do not have these in place we can support you to develop them and allow you time to meet these requirements.


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Exclusions

Barrow Cadbury Trust has a strategic plan and all grant programmes relate to this. There are some areas of work that we have decided not to fund, these are:

  • Activities that the public sector is responsible for providing

  • Animal welfare

  • Arts and cultural projects

  • Capital costs for building, refurbishment and outfitting.

  • Children’s projects (0-16 years)

  • Debt counselling

  • Endowment funds

  • Fundraising events or activities

  • General appeals

  • General health

  • Individuals

  • Housing

  • Learning disability

  • Medical research or equipment

  • Mental Health

  • Older people

  • Physical disability

  • Promoting religion or belief systems

  • Schools

  • Sponsorship or marketing appeals


The list below represents areas of work that we are unlikely to fund. If you are interested in submitting a proposal under one of these themes please contact the grants team first.

  • Counselling – unless it forms part of a wider project within one of our programme areas.

  • Colleges and Universities – only under the research funding of the Trust. Please go directly to the Research section (link).

  • Drug and Alcohol users – this remains as a possible area of funding under our Criminal Justice Programme only as part of a broader project.

  • Environmental projects – would only be considered under the Poverty and Inclusion Programme as part of a broader project.

  • Homelessness and destitution – but only for those leaving the Criminal Justice System or in relation to our Migration programme. We are unlikely to make more than one award under either programme this year.

  • IT training – only if it forms part of a wider project.

  • Sporting activities – only if it forms part of a wider project.


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FAQ’s

  • Do you have different types of grant?

    We have three types of grant.

    • Small grants are made up to £3000;

    • Minor grants are made up to £10,000;

    • Major grants are over £10,000.

  • What is the average size grant you award and what is the maximum award you make?

    The average size grant for grassroots projects is £25 – £30k per year. We rarely make an award of over two years to groups that are not known to us. The maximum size grant you can apply for is £50,000 per year for over three years, but we only make a small number of awards of this size and they will always be to groups that we have previously funded.

  • Are you prepared to match-fund projects?

    Yes, please make it clear in your initial proposal whether you want us to match-fund or contribute to a large project and state whether you have secured other funding already. If not, we may still consider your application but a final award may be dependent on you securing all the funding.

  • How many grants do you make each year?

    We expect to make approximately 80 grants this year. Of these approximately 50 will be major grants. The rest will be minor and small grants. We try to spread our awards across the financial year.

  • How long will my application take to process?

    Awards are made by Trustees at quarterly meetings in January, April, July and November. We try to respond to the first stage proposal within one month of you sending it to us. It may take three to six months for successful applications to be processed but we will be in touch with you throughout this period.

  • Do you ever award core costs?

    We will only accept applications for core costs from groups that are already known to us.

  • Do you use the full cost recovery model?

    Your budget can include an element of organisational costs. If your proposal passes the initial assessment we will work with you to understand what the full cost of the delivery of project will be, including a percentage of the overhead costs for the organisation.

  • Will you fund projects outside of the West Midlands?

    The West Midlands, particularly Birmingham and the Black Country (Wolverhampton, Dudley, West Bromwich, Smethwick, Sandwell) remain a high priority for the Trust. Availability of funds will always dictate what grants we are able to make but we will try to ensure a fair geographic spread and will consider applications from outside the West Midlands area under some programmes. Please refer to the specific grant programme criteria to see what geographic areas are covered.

  • Barrow Cadbury Trust has a tradition of linking grant making to influencing policy, is this still the case?

    We remain keen to fund projects that are having a positive impact in the communities in which they are based and that may provide lessons for others and influence local or national policy but this is not a requirement.

  • Can I talk to someone about my project before I submit a proposal?

    We would be happy to talk to you about your project before you spend time on writing a proposal. Please contact the grants team on 020 7632 9068.


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Programme grant criteria

There are three grant programmes under ‘Poverty and Inclusion’. Your project may fit under one or more of these themes.

Poverty and Inclusion Programme

You can only apply for this programme if your project is based in the West Midlands.

We want to fund grassroots groups supporting effective approaches to combating poverty and inequality and assist in building inclusive communities.

Bridging communities

The Trust recognises that cities in the West Midlands are becoming super diverse, which many welcome and embrace. However for some it can feel like a battle for resources and lead to inter-community tensions. We believe that many of these tensions have their roots in poverty and inequality rather than as a consequence of people from different ethnic and religious groups living in the same space.

We will fund local groups that bring communities together around issues of common cause, that tackle a problem that affects all, or that aim to reduce tensions by getting people together to actively address them.

The types of project we will fund will very much depend on the local context but we want to support projects that can show:

  • specific scenarios where an inter-community response will produce practical outcomes to particular problems;

  • how they will bring people together and for what reason – we will expect any social activity to be part of a broader plan;

  • how solidarity can be built in their community and why it is needed;

  • how bringing people together will result in an improvement for all.


Tackling Poverty

Tackling poverty and deprivation is fundamental to the mission of the Trust. We believe that many communities have the resources, skills and creativity, if given the chance, to find solutions to poverty and ways to generate and keep money within the local community. We are also concerned that a time of economic decline many are forced to find short-term solutions that will result in long-term debt and exploitation.

We are open to new ideas of community responses to tackling poverty but we will also consider projects that focus on:

  • supporting people to find ways out of poverty that build skills, confidence and opportunities;

  • enabling people to access safe finance;

  • supporting people to generate and keep wealth within communities.


Inequalities

We want to fund grassroots groups that address gender and/or race and ethnic based disadvantage. Groups will need to identify the inequality and state how it will be addressed. We are interested in supporting projects that:

  • lead to empowerment;

  • create examples that others can learn from;

  • engage excluded individuals and communities in the involvement in community life and/or political processes;

  • bring people together to tackle inequality.


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Preparing your outline proposal

Send us a two – three side proposal covering the key points below.

  • Your organisation and what it does – this should include a brief background of the organisation, its aims, activities and contact details. If you have been funded previously for the same project describe the successes to date.

  • Which Programme area and grant programme are you applying under? – your project cannot cover more than one Programme area but under the Poverty and Inclusion Programme your proposal may cover more than one grant criteria (Bridging Communities, Poverty, Inequality).

  • Where your project will take place – please provide us with as much detail as possible about the specific area in which your project will take place.

  • A description of the specific project you are seeking funding for – tell us what you intend to do and how you will go about it.

  • Who will benefit from your project – identify the individuals or organisations that will benefit from your project.

  • What size grant you are looking for – how much money you are requesting, for what and over what period?

  • What success will look like to you – what do you hope will change as a result of this project and how will you know it has been successful.


Please send your proposal to:

Asma Aroui
Grants Administrator
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Kean House
6 Kean Street
London
WC2B 4AS

Or by email to: a.aroui@barrowcadbury.org.uk

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Programmes