In this week’s edition of the bulletin besides details of funding opportunities for Walsall organisations there is an update on the progress of an application to The BIG Lottery Fund’s
Youth In Focus programme. Also there is news of a Funding Fair for the Willenhall/Short
Heath Area Partnership. We would also like to highlight possible funding opportunities for
Walsall schools under the Young People’s section.
Please contact us regarding your funding requirements. We look forward to hearing from you.
Our contact details are at the end of the bulletin.
Youth In Focus is a BIG Lottery Fund programme which aims to help vulnerable young people to lead active and fulfilling lives. Research and consultation undertaken by BIG has shown that young people have a range of complex needs. For further details visit the website http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_youth_focus.htm
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At a seminar held at Dartmouth Youth Centre in Walsall on 23 rd September local organisations got together to discuss the opportunity to submit a Walsall Youth In Focus bid which could draw in a significant amount of resource to the Borough. Following this event
Walsall Voluntary Action and Walsall Federation of Community Associations are now calling for expressions of interest from local organisations who may be interested in delivering as part of a Walsall bid that would also receive the support of Walsall Council.
The process to develop the bid with documentation presented at the seminar including a presentation by Alan Mitchell Head of Walsall Council’s IYPSS is available by e-mailing ianw@walsallva.org.uk
To express your interest simply send an email to ianw@walsallva.org.uk
and WVA will be back in touch to arrange a further discussion on the next steps.
WVA would like to thank all parties for their interest at this stage and hope all can work together to secure some resources to deliver some much needed activity in Walsall. Please

be free to circulate this information to any other Walsall organisations that may find this opportunity of interest. WVA will also shortly be posting this information and any other data that may be useful linked to developing a Walsall Youth In Focus bid onto the WVA website which can be found at www.walsallva.org.uk
Plans are underway to stage a funding fair for all voluntary/ community groups and schools in the Willenhall/Short Heath Partnership Area. Dates and venue are as follows
DATE: WEDNESDAY 3 RD NOVEMBER 2010
VENUE: WILLENHALL CHART CENTRE –GOMER STREET, WILLENHALL WV13 2NS
TIME: 10-00 AM- 2-00PM
We are planning to have a number of external funders present including those from The BIG
Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund together with presentations and the opportunity for local organisations to discuss their funding requirements and also assist them in the funding application process. We feel sure that a large number of organisations in the area will want to attend. So please put these details in your diary . Further details will appear in the bulletin nearer 3 rd November. We look forward to seeing you at the event.
Schools can now benefit from new £50 million Fund that has been established to enable schools in England, Scotland and Wales to have solar electricity systems installed free of charge and low-cost fixed price energy for 25 years. The funding has been secured by Our
Generation as a result of the Government’s Feed in Tariff, launched in April of this year. Feed in Tariffs aim to advance the installation of renewable energy sources by imposing an obligation on electricity companies to buy back excess green energy produced from renewable sources by households, landlords, businesses, schools, etc.
Birchwood High School in Hertfordshire is the first to benefit from the scheme offered by Our
Generation. It now has the largest solar electricity system in a school anywhere in the UK, which would have cost over £200,000 to install.
Schools wishing to benefit from the new fund need initially to submit an enquiry form. For more information on the Fund and how to apply please click on the link below. http://www.ourgeneration.org.uk/contact_us/

Youth Music, the UK's largest children's music charity has announced its grant making programme is open for applications. Through its "Open Programme", grants of between
£5,000 and £30,000 are available to support projects that provide music-making activities for children and young people in support of Youth Music's goals. Youth Music will fund any non profit-making organisation more than one year old, committed to music-making activities for children and young people up to 18 (or up to 25 if they have special educational needs, disabilities or are in detention).
Youth Music aims to support music making activities principally in out of school hours such as during weekends, holidays as well as in breakfast and after schools clubs. Youth Music understands that programmes may need to begin in school hours especially if the proposal involves encouraging first time participation in music. To help with this, Youth Music will consider applications for programmes where up to 25% of the time is spent in school hours.
The proposed programme should aim to encourage children and young people to eventually make music outside of school hours.
The closing date for applications is the 10th December 2010. http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/looking_for_music_funding/Open_programme.html
The Goldsmiths’ Grant for Teachers was introduced in 2008 to provide teachers and head teachers with an opportunity to take time out from the classroom in order to undertake a project of their choice, in the UK or abroad, aimed at enhancing their personal and professional development. The grant offsets the cost of travel, accommodation and tuition fees, as well as contributing to the cost of supply cover. All proposed projects will be considered by a selection panel drawn from the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Education
Committee. Examples of projects that would be looked on favorably include; comparisons of best practice in teaching and school administration, at home or abroad; leadership training courses; personal development courses – e.g. creative writing, arts, languages etc; syllabusrelated travel; secondment to business/industry/media. Grants will cover travel, accommodation and tuition costs up to a maximum of £3,000. In addition the Goldsmiths’
Company will meet the cost of up to four weeks’ supply cover.
Projects should be undertaken between May 2011 and July 2012 and the closing date for applications is the 10th December 2010. http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/education/grants_for_teach.htm

Digital Unite, the organisation that helps older people use new technology, has announced that as part of the 2010 Get Online Week ( 18-24 October 2010), grants available to any organisation holding one or more free IT taster events for beginners in England in October, especially (but not necessarily) during the Get Online week. Gran ts of up to £1,150 are available and the funding can be used to purchase a printer, headphones, or other equipment; to print flyers, train staff to cover the cost of the broadband connection for a period of time, or to go towards planning and producing the next event, tec. Existing UK online centres are unable to apply via Digital Unite and need to apply for funding directly from UK online centres in the usual way on their website.
The application window is very short and grants will be awarded on a first come basis. For more information and how to apply please click on the link below. http://digitalunite.com/grants-galore-for-get-online-week-2010/
The Department of Health has announced that the Third Sector Investment Programme for the Innovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund is now open for applications. The fund which is open to voluntary and community organisations providing a service similar to a service provided by the National Health Service or by local authority social services aims to support the work of third sector organisations with a clear focus on supporting and driving forward the themes of Innovation; Excellence and Service Development. Projects that are eligible for funding under this scheme must also address one of the following cross cutting themes; patient-led NHS; delivering better health outcomes; autonomy & accountability; improving public health; and improving long-term care. All awards from April 2011 are subject to the outcome of the spending review, which will be known in the autumn. The launch of this scheme does not commit DH to the funding of any grant awards from April 2011.
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on the 1st November 2010. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanc e/DH_118373

Comic Relief has announced that it is seeking applications through its older People’s programme. The aim of the programme is to support older people to bring positive change to their communities. The fund is open to a range of organisations including self help and community groups, voluntary organisations, community interest companies and social enterprises who are targeting their work at older people aged 65 and over.
Comic Relief are particularly keen to make sure our funding reaches those who are often missed out, such as older people from black and minority ethnic communities, lesbians, gay men, bisexual or transgendered people and older men for example. Most grants are expected to be of between £15,000 and £40,000 per year. Grants may be for up to 3 years.
The deadline for submitting your first-stage application is the 17th December 2010.
Applications chosen for further consideration will then have until the 22nd February 2011 to submit a full application. http://www.comicrelief.com/apply_for_a_grant/uk/olderpeople
Businesses owned by ex-Service personnel across the UK will be able to access vital finance to grow and succeed, following the launch of The Royal British Legion’s Be the Boss loan fund, part-managed by GLE one London . As GLE’s first major UK-wide contract providing loan finance, this fund will provide that vital springboard for businesses struggling to raise finance in one of the most challenging economic climates for many years. Working in partnership with The Royal British Legion, GLE will seek to provide this essential service to many businesses unable to access mainstream bank lending.
It is hoped that the fund will provide up to £3m in grant and loan finance until March 2011 to both start-up and existing small and medium sized businesses. For more information contact
Claire Christie, Communications Manager, at claire.c@gle.co.uk or click on the link below. http://www.gle.co.uk/finance/news-article.php?id=43#
Digital Unite, the organisation that helps older people use new technology, has announced that as part of the 2010 Get Online Week ( 18-24 October 2010), grants available to any organisation holding one or more free IT taster events for beginners in England in October, especially (but not necessarily) during the Get Online week. Grants of up to £1,150 are available and the funding can be used to purchase a printer, headphones, or other

equipment; to print flyers, train staff to cover the cost of the broadband connection for a period of time, or to go towards planning and producing the next event, tec. Existing UK online centres are unable to apply via Digital Unite and need to apply for funding directly from UK online centres in the usual way on their website. The application window is very short and grants will be awarded on a first come basis. For more information and how to apply please click on the link below…. http://digitalunite.com/grants-galore-for-get-online-week-2010/
Vocational Education and Training providers as well as Schools and Colleges engaged in
Vocational Education and Training that wish to get involved in the European Union's Leonardo
Da Vinci Programme can apply for funding under the Preparatory Visits Grant element of the
Programme. The Leonardo da Vinci programme is part of the European Commission's
Lifelong Learning Programme and aims to build a skilled workforce through European partnerships. The Programme funds overseas work placements and the development of training materials with the objective of improving the provision of Vocational Education and
Training (VET) across Europe. The aim of Preparatory Visits Grant s is to enable potential applicants and participants to meet European partners prior to submitting a Leonardo Da Vinci project. The maximum grant available f or a preparatory visit is €1,000.
Applications must be submitted at least 8 weeks before the activity start date and the final deadline for applications is the 10th December 2010. http://www.leonardo.org.uk/page.asp?section=00010001001900010002%A7ionTitle=Preparat ory%2BVisits
We are able to assist with all aspects of your requirements regarding external funding.
Therefore if you are considering an application for any type of external funding could you in the first instance please complete the WP Advance Notice Form, which is included with this bulletin, with details of your ideas. It is not a condition of any external funder that you consult with any third party before submitting an application. However, if you do complete the form it will help us to help you.
Mike Gaffney – Capacity Building Manager 01922 652479
E-mail: gaffneym@walsall.gov.uk