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Consultation Questions on Voluntary
Sector Investment Programme
Voluntary Sector Investment Programme
To what extent do you agree that the Voluntary Sector Investment
Programme should continue?
□ Strongly disagree
□ Disagree
□ Neither agree nor disagree
□ Agree
□ Strongly Agree X
Please tell us why you think this:
The voluntary sector investment programme provides the opportunity to
test out new ideas and develop new approaches in health and social
care which would be difficult to fund from other sources and gives the
results of these initiatives national profile and, if successful, the
opportunity to be more widely adopted.
Do you agree with the suggestion to revise the programme to
include two programmes?
1. A single grants programme which funds projects and
2. A programme that supports strategic partnerships to support health
and wellbeing outcomes.
□ Yes x
□ No
If no, please let us know what you would suggest:
How do you think the Voluntary Sector Investment Programme
could ensure that evidence of VCSE impact and outcomes supports
future decisions on levels of central government funding?
A learning culture needs to be adopted where the results of projects are
shared across government and with other sections of the VCSE by
including dissemination of information in in the requirements of the
voluntary sector investment programme.
Grant Funding for Projects: Programme Design
To what extent do you support the following statements?
a. One of the programme’s key aims should be to promote equality and
reduce health inequalities strongly agree
b. One of the programme’s key aims should be to contribute to health
and well-being outcomes for all communities in England agree
c. There should be a weighting within assessments towards projects that
promote equality and reduce health inequality agree
Options to include: strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor
disagree, agree, strongly agree
If there are any other aims you think the fund should have, please add
them here: demonstrate how the voice patient/user of services has and
will be included in the project
What do you think are the most important aspects to fund?
(Please rank these in order of importance with 1 being the most
important and 5 being the least)
a. Projects that support volunteering or social action 5
b. Projects that support innovation 1
c. Projects that help scale up projects that have been shown to have
impact 2
d. Projects that help support an organisation to grow and flourish 4
e. Projects that demonstrate impact on health inequalities / social
determinants of health 3
Please explain why you have chosen this option as being most
important.
We have to look for new ways to respond to the social and health issues
that confront us because our current systems are not sustainable and do
not meet the aspirations of today’s people.
Would you prefer the application process to be?
a. A one-stage application form with the same level of detail required
irrespective of the amount applied for
b. A one-stage application form with a shorter version available for those
applying for small grants
c. A two-stage application with an ‘expression of interest’ stage followed
by a longer application form for successful applicants strongly agree
d. If you have another suggestion for the application process, please
note this here or provide any comments
Do you think the Voluntary Sector Investment Programme should
fund projects that are?
a) Locally specific (yes / no) yes
b) Regional (yes / no) yes
c) National (yes / no) yes
Please give reasons for your response
The programme should fund a variety of projects to promote innovation
Should there be a limit on the size of organisation (in terms of their
annual income) able to apply to the fund?
Yes / no yes
If yes, what upper limit would you suggest?
5m turnover
How can we encourage and support smaller organisations to
apply?
In two ways: by providing help and advice; and by facilitating the
development of partnerships
Do you think we should consider providing loan funding (for
organisations with the capacity to repay them alongside our grant
funding programme?
Yes / no yes
17. If you have previously applied (or tried to apply) to either the
IESD or HSCVF, were there any barriers to applying for your
organisation?
Yes / no Yes – the hosting website is not accessible. This has been
pointed out on numerous occasions and must be addressed
If yes, please note these here and suggest any possible solutions to help
overcome these:
Make printed material available and allow applicants to fill in the
application in word format
Grant Funding for Projects: The scope of our
funding
Do you think the current themes (listed above) are the right ones to
implement in a future funding programme?
Yes / no yes
If no, how would you suggest we change them in a way that supports
effective evaluation and reduces the burden on organisations wishing to
apply?
How could we most effectively co-produce the themes and priority
areas for funding with the VCSE sector - what approaches or
mechanisms would you suggest to do this effectively?
Use of a survey which is distributed widely. Avoid just asking/involving
the usual suspects. Needs to go beyond the strategic partners
Grant Funding for Projects: Capacity building
support
Do you think capacity building support should be?
(Please tick your preferred option)
a. an optional extra to the grant received? x
b. an integral part of the grant package for all organisations?
c. an integral part of the grant package for small organisations?
d. not offered as part of the programme?
To what extent do you agree with the idea that grant funding would
include a requirement to offer ‘peer support’ between projects in
the overall programme? Strongly agree
(Options: Strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree,
strongly disagree)
Are there any other ways in which capacity building support could
be provided?
Provide signposting to other organisations that could give support
Grant Funding for Projects:
Evaluation and dissemination of learning
How could we achieve greater consistency in evaluation and
measurement of outcomes?
Develop an outcomes framework – often organisations find evaluation
difficult because they don’t know what methods to use
24. How can good practice and learning from successful projects
be shared more effectively?
Dissemination being a requirement of all successful projects
If you have any other comments or suggestions about the
proposed programme of grant funding that are not covered in any
of our questions, please note these here:
The timing of the programme has been a problem in previous years with
a rush before the end of the financial year, or even beyond the financial
year on some occasions. If the timetable was the same each year this
would help.
Funding for Strategic Partnerships
Do you agree with the list of aims for this programme?
Yes / no yes
If no, what would you change and why?
To what extent do you agree with the following statements?
(Options: strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree,
strongly disagree)
a. There should be strong links between the VCSE sector and relevant
policy and programme leads in each of the system partners strongly
agree
b. Funding should be provided on a three-year cycle agree
c. There should be fewer partners overall disagree
d. Partners should be selected based on the communities they connect
with and their reach into the VCSE sector (e.g. not representing sole
health conditions) agree
e. The programme should include consortia partners (a group of
organisations working together through a single grant to achieve
common aims)? agree
f. The programme should extend to work with other arm’s length bodies
within health and care agree
g. The programme should make links to other government departments
agree
h. Strategic partners should be bound by a framework agreement to
support core areas of work with additional work distributed through a
mini competitive exercise between partners neither agree or disagree
i. Strategic partners should have clear work plans, including small
projects that they deliver on an annual basis? agree
j. The programme should contribute to evidence gathering about
relevant issues and current trends in the VCSE sector? agree
k. The programme should support capacity building and sustainability of
infrastructure organisations within the VCSE sector? Neither agree nor
disagree
How can we ensure the conflicts of interest between partners are
best identified and managed?
Accept that there always will be conflicts on interest – the VCSE sector
is very competitive – and ensure that all interests are listened to and
respected
How could we ensure that partners effectively communicate the
benefits and impact of their contribution to the wider VCSE sector?
Make this a requirement and ask applicants how they would do this
How could a programme ensure that partners are representing
views of the sector appropriately and that the sector can hold
partners to account?
I’m not sure this can be adequately achieved. One of the problems for
statutory organisations is that the VCSE does not speak with one voice,
but this is also one of its strengths and should be accepted. There is no
mechanism for holding strategic partners to account to the rest of the
sector and nor could there be since there is no one body to whom
representation could be made. It is for reasons of accountability that I
feel ambivalent about whether SPs should have 3 year funding
automatically. Whilst continuity is helpful there is also a need to ensure
other organisations get a look in and the SP programme does not
become stale and self-congratulatory by only listening to the usual
voices.
If you have any other comments or suggestions about the
proposed strategic partnership programme that are not covered in
any of our questions, please note these here
The work planning needs to be more straightforward. A starting point
might be to ask each SP what they can offer and the system partners
what their current priorities are and then facilitate them coming together.
It would also be helpful to require SPs to work with each other if they are
to be part of the programme.