Each year, the Better Community Business Network provides 12 grants, each of £3,000, for initiatives across the UK that aim to improve the quality of life and expectations of people and their communities, especially those who come from disadvantaged or socially deprived backgrounds.
Although this is not an exclusive list, eligible organisations should be working in one or more of the following areas:
1. Arts and Culture, including sport activities and seeking funding for libraries.
2. Disability, including help lines and social inclusion.
3. Education, including schools and extra-curricular clubs.
4. Elderly, including befriending and social clubs.
5. Environment, including natural disasters and regeneration projects.
6. Ex-offenders, including mentoring and rehabilitation.
7. Health, including cancer research, healthy eating and hospitals.
8. Homelessness and poverty, including Food Banks and shelter, and
9. Social inclusion.
To be eligible to apply, organisations must meet the following criteria:
o Be UK-based.
o Providing benefits to the local population.
o They should be able to demonstrate that money awarded will be used for project-specific costs, and
o They should be addressing a community issue or supporting a local community initiative.
Funding is not available for:
o Building projects.
o Endowments, loans, deficits, general appeals.
o For-profit initiatives.
o Grant-giving charities.
o Individuals and individual sponsorship.
o Items that the funders do not consider essential.
o Multiple applications: successful applicants may only apply once per year and unsuccessful applicants may apply in the next quarterly term.
o Overseas projects.
o Part-funding of projects.
o Party political activity.
o Professional associations or training of professionals.
o Running costs and expenses, or
o Travel and accommodation.
Further information, guidelines, and an online application form is available on the Better Community Business Network website.
The following two application deadlines are available in 2022:
1. Friday 15th July. Successful applicants are expected to be notified in mid-August 2022.
2. Friday 11th November. Success applicants are expected to be notified in early December 2022.
Contact details for the Networks are:
The Better Community Business Network
50 Havelock Terrace
Nine Elms
London
SW8 4AL
Tel: 020 7202 9129
Email: grants(at)bcbn.org.uk