Grants, Funding & Information – Various opportunities from May 2012 | WilCAP

GROW are running a cluster event for all voluntary and community groups based in the Salisbury area. Cluster events are designed to help groups to network. If you require any of the following then this FREE event is for you!

Do you need volunteers?

Do you need information about working with people who have specific support needs?

Do you need funding but don’t know where to look?

Do you need new trustees or need to better support the trustees you already have?

Do you need training or help identifying training needs?

The event takes place on Thursday 14th June, 10am-12pm at St Michael’s Church Centre, Bemerton Heath, SP2 9LE. Spaces are starting to fill up so BOOK NOW – email sarah@growwiltshire.org.uk or call 0845 034 5250 (local rates apply) Click here for more.

Path Improvement Grant Scheme (PIGS) 2012: PIGS is open for bids again! The scheme is run by the Rights of Way and Countryside Section at Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire and Swindon Countryside Access Forum. The scheme is aimed at helping local people to make innovative improvements to countryside access in their area. PIGS provides match funding and can be used to help lever in other funding sources. In 2012 around £60,000 will be available for community led projects. Click here for more.

wfcap AGM 2012: Attended by over 60 people from the Voluntary and Community Sector, the conference focused on connecting communities. We used the day to launch a new initiative around cross-community-area working. The CAPs had raised various projects with us that they had either started work on or felt would be a crucial issue that would benefit from a wider geographical approach. The idea was to kick-start some thinking around these issues. To find out more and access resources click here and scroll down.

Note – WilCAP attended the wfcap 2012 AGM & our three representatives, Trevor Long, Jimmy Green & myself, participated in the HealthWatch, Drought & Transport discussion groups. Big thanks to wfcap for organising the conference.

Heritage Lottery Fund: ‘All Our Stories’ will make available grants ranging from £3,000 – £10,000. From researching local historic landmarks, learning more about customs and traditions to delving into archives and finding out the origins of street and place names – this new programme will give everyone the chance to explore their heritage and share what they learn with others. Applications need to be submitted online by 31 July 2012 and applicants will receive a decision by October 2012. Click here for more.

The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre is highly experienced at completing HLF applications and would be keen to support any organisation looking to access this funding. Please contact the History Centre on 01249 705500 or e-mail heritageadmin@wiltshire.gov.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to discuss your idea.

There’s no such thing as the Dog Poo Fairy: Keep Britain Tidy’s research shows that dog fouling is a major concern to members of the public. There also appears to be a bigger problem that has arisen in that increasing amounts of bagged dog faeces are being left behind as people fail to dispose of their bags after cleaning up after their pets. Research has also found that 70% of local authorities have some sort of problem within their area. To tackle this problem, Keep Britain Tidy has launched a national dog fouling campaign to encourage irresponsible dog owners to clean up after their pets. For free posters and stickers and more info click here

Heating accounts for 47% of the UK’s energy demand and 49% of our emissions. Buildings used by the whole community – schools, places of worship, leisure centres and hospitals, for example – often need constant heat during the day. They also tend to rely on old-fashioned, inefficient fossil fuel boilers. Good Energy wants to help, and we’re currently on the lookout for community renewable heat projects to invest in as part of our on-going commitment to supporting people who want to take control of their own energy needs.

Small Grants Programme: This programme is for grants up £1,000 and gives priority to small organisations with an annual income of less than £15,000 per annum who are working in the rural areas, coastal and market towns. The main focus of the programme is on organisations supporting any ‘marginalised’ group including people with mental health issues, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, on low incomes or from BME communities. Small organisations for the purposes of this fund are considered to be those organisations with an annual income of less than £15,000. Click here for more.

In the last two years BT has provided free internet connections to more than 380 community groups, which have given more 6,900 new users the skills to get online. Applications for the awards should be made online before 5.30pm on Friday, September 7 at the website Click here for more.

Do You Want To Reduce Rubbish In Wiltshire? On Saturday 26th May, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust will be running a training day for Waste Prevention Volunteers, to be held in conjunction with Wiltshire Council. The event is to be held in Calne from 9.45am – 3.30pm will be to encourage Wiltshire to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill by rethinking, reusing, recycling and composting. For further details click here or please contact Emma Croft, Waste Minimisation Officer at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Tel: 01380 736074 Email: emmac@wiltshirewildlife.org

The Community Foundation is one of the South West’s largest independent grant makers, helping local people find local solutions to local needs. The Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon has partnered with Localgiving.com to provide local community groups with fundraising web pages, guides and training, in order to assist organisations to continue to make our communities a better place to live.

Localgiving.com is more than just a site for fundraising it is a tool for local voluntary groups to use to raise awareness of the great work that they are doing and the benefits they bring to their local community and for connecting donors with voluntary groups in their communities. The first year is free to the first 200 groups online in Wiltshire and a match fund will be available in September when groups on the site can double what they receive. To all those groups out there wanting to make that first steps to becoming sustainable please Click here or get in touch at localgiving@wscf.org.uk or 01380 729284 and ask for Pav Bains.