The Community Chests programme provides small grants of between £50 and £5,000 to support projects that encourage greater community involvement in local activities in the 88 most deprived areas of England. The grants are aimed at small community and voluntary groups who do not have access to other funding but wish to improve the quality of life deprived neighbourhoods.

Between April 2004 and April 2005, the Community Chest fund will be merged with two other community participation programmes (Community Empowerment Fund and Community Learning Chests) to form a single Community Programme. This will provide a single funding stream flowing from the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit through Government Offices to Community Empowerment Networks, administered by a Single Responsible Body in each of the 88 Neighbourhood Renewal areas. The single Community Programme has four clear objectives set by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit:

1.Community Empowerment Networks
2.Community Learning
3.Small Grants
4.Community Involvement in Neighbourhood Level partnerships and will increase local flexibility for meeting these objectives.

For further information about the Community Chest fund or the single Community Programme, please contact your local Government Office.
www.rcu.gov.uk/GO/default.asp

Nationwide Foundation

The Foundation focuses on tackling disadvantage and deprivation through two themes:

1. Volunteering Programmes, which also has a focus on projects concerning children and young people leaving care; and crime and justice.

2. Rural Communities, which welcomes proposals involving the education, training and support of people disadvantaged by their rural location.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available. For application forms and guidelines see: www.nationwidefoundation.org.uk or telephone 01793 655113 (Monday to Thursday, between 9.30am and 1pm).

Barclays Social Responsibility Programme

The programme offers funding of £1,000 to £25,000 to community and voluntary groups on a local or regional basis. It also offers the skills of its employees through the employee volunteering scheme. Barclays Community Investment is directed into five key areas: education; people with disabilities; social inclusion; the arts and the environment. For further information on Barclays Community Programme and regional contacts visit:
www.barclays.co.uk/socialresponsibility

Collect £100 to investigate voluntary sector trading

If you operate (or are thinking about operating) trading or enterprise activities to generate income, you can apply for £100 expenses to visit other successful trading projects. More from:
http://tinyurl.co.uk/a6xg
www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk
Source: RAISE e-Bulletin 030303