ICT Management. > Budgeting and Funding

Funding for ICT

By Lasa Information Systems Team

Whilst there are a number of trusts and grant funders who look favourably on applications for ICT within a project application, a limited number of funders will specifically fund ICT. Some of these are described in this article. Please note that funding priorities, criteria and programmes change constantly so check with the funder first that this information is still current.

• Awards For All
• The City Bridge Trust
• BT Community Connections
• Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
• The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England & Wales
• Abbey National Charitable Trust Ltd
• The Tudor Trust
• The Baring Foundation
• The Allen Lane Foundation
• The Big Lottery Fund
• The Garfield Weston Foundation
• City Parochial Foundation
• The LankellyChase Foundation
• JPaul Getty Jr Charitable Trust
• Nominet Trust
• Useful Links

Awards For All

Awards for All can fund projects that enable people to take part in and access community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community. From April 2009 there are separate programmes for groups based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the funding criteria and application process varies according to the country, see www.awardsforall.org.uk for more information.

The City Bridge Trust

The City Bridge Trust has recently refreshed and refocused its grants programmes for London based organizations in these seven areas:

• Accessible London
• London's Environment
• Bridging Communities
• Positive Transitions to Independent Living
• Improving Londoners’ Mental Health
• Older Londoners
• Strengthening the Third Sector

The Trust have the following guidelines on amounts likely to be granted:

• There is no minimum or maximum grant.
• Grants over £500,000 need the approval of the City of London Corporation’s Court of Common Council and are very exceptional.
• Applications over £25,000 need to be accompanied by a detailed proposal. Large grants to small organisations are unlikely to be made.
• Grants to large charities will not usually be more than 50% of the total project costs.
• Grants for large capital projects will usually not exceed £50,000.
• Capital grants in excess of £50,000 may be awarded occasionally to small organisations or local projects.

For more information about all the programmes see www.bridgehousetrust.org.uk

BT Community Connections

BT Community Connections (BTCC) is a nationwide award scheme that aims to connect local community and voluntary groups to the internet. Every award winner will receive:

• A multi-media internet-ready laptop
• One year's free broadband internet access
• Access to a free community website building tool, www.communitykit.co.uk
• Access to the Recipero support centre to help you build your website
• Ability to request a visit from a BT Volunteer
• Access to free PR and other online resources
• Access to the BT Community portal which will allow you to create your own online profile
• Access to BT Community Space to enable you to network with other community groups who

In the past silver-surfers, cultural dance groups, conservation organisations, mountain rescue teams, family support groups, healthy living clubs, arts and music groups, sports teams from nci-forum.co.uk and youth groups have all been award winners.

In addition, the BTCC Cluster Award allows up to five groups to submit a joint application – all members of the cluster will receive the award package.

For more information, application form and criteria see the BTCC website - www.btcommunityconnections.com Please note that this scheme is not run all the time – the closing date for the current round is 11 June 2009 and round two is 7 January 2010.

Worshipful Company of Information Technologists

The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists aims to bring the benefits of IT within reach of people disadvantaged for whatever reason. WCIT members provide strategic advice to a range of not-for-profit partner organisations, working together with these organisations to develop a growing range of IT based charitable projects - from computer networks in children's hospices to the provision of online services for carers.

The Company's charitable programme is delivered through a number of Panels - groups of members who share an interest in a particular issue, and who give their time and skills, working together to deliver a range of projects and other Company activities. Much of the Company’s work with charities is channelled through the successful IT4Communities volunteering scheme – see www.it4communities.org.uk

For general enquiries please contact:
Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
39A Bartholomew Close
London EC1A 7JN
Tel: 020 7600 1992
email: [email protected]
Website: www.wcit.org.uk

The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England & Wales

 

The Community Programme supports registered charities whose core work helps disadvantaged people to play a fuller role in the community through:

• Improved social and community involvement
• Improved life chances
• Helping people to be heard

They fund charities to continue and develop existing community-based work, or to develop the organisation or its services. Examples include funding to:

• Maintain and or improve their capacity and or effectiveness
• Encourage learning and best practice
• Enable the continued provision of services
• Support the expansion of services
• Help improve the quality of services
• Lobby or campaign at a local, regional or national level.

Application form and guidance notes available from website: www.lloydstsbfoundations.org.uk

Abbey National Charitable Trust Ltd

The Trust is committed to supporting local communities and disadvantaged people through registered charities particularly in areas where the Trust has Community Partnership Groups. Donations can range from £250 to a maximum of £20,000 but in practice (outside of the areas shown below) most will be in the range of £500 to £4,000. We have Community Partnership Groups in:

• London Borough of Camden
• Glasgow
• Bradford
• Milton Keynes
• Sheffield
• Northern Ireland
• Teesside

The Trust’s priorities are supporting disadvantaged people through:

• Education and training
• Regeneration projects
• Financial advice

Requests must be for something that is suitable for one-off funding. The trustees favour smaller, local charities. The Trust does not issue application forms. Applications may be made at any time by letter and initial telephone enquiries are welcome. Guidelines for applications are available on the website (see below).

Contact:
Abbey Charitable Trust
PO Box 911 Milton Keynes MK9 1AD.

Tel: 0870 608 0104
Email: [email protected]
Website: Abbey National Charitable Trust

The Tudor Trust

The Tudor Trust has recently launched its new funding programme. It is an independent grant-making charitable trust which supports organisations working across the UK. They do not focus funding on specific themes or programmes but want to fund a wide range of people and organisations working to achieve lasting change in their communities.

Grants can take the form of core funding (including salaries and running costs), development funding, project grants or capital grants for buildings or equipment. There is no maximum or minimum grant amount. Grants are usually for one, two or three years but may work alongside organisations for a longer period.

For further information contact:
Tel: 020 7727 8522
Website: www.tudortrust.org.uk

The Baring Foundation

The 2006 Strengthening the Voluntary Sector programme is currently closed but the Foundation anticipates reopening the Programme in 2010. Please visit the Baring Foundation website for more information.

The Allen Lane Foundation

The Allen Lane Foundation is a charitable trust, which makes grants to small voluntary not-for-profit organisations, (which need not be registered charities, provided the work carried out is charitable) whose work benefits groups of people including:

• Black and minority ethnic communities;
• Refugees and asylum seekers;
• Offenders and ex-offenders;
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual people;
• Those experiencing mental health problems;
• Those experiencing violence or abuse;
• Older people; and
• Travellers.

The types of projects that may be funded include:

• Providing advice, information and services to one or more of the priority groups.
• Community development.
• Social welfare aimed at making a long-term difference and empowering users.

Single, one-off grants range from £500 - £15,000. Grants repeated for more than one year vary from £500 - £5,000 per annum, for a maximum of three years.

The Foundation will not fund larger organisations; eligible organisations will have an income of less than £100,000. Organisations that work across the whole of the UK will be eligible if it has an income of not more than about £250,000.

Deadline: Applications can be made at any time and are processed throughout the year.

Further information: Before completing the application, you should check exclusions and use the guidance notes on the website. Contact:

Tel: 01904 613223
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.allenlane.org.uk

The Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund runs a number of different programmes – for further information see their website at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or contact the Big Advice Line: 0845 410 2030.

The Garfield Weston Foundation

The Foundation supports only UK registered charities or exempted organisations (churches, educational establishment, hospitals and housing corporations. Their website contain all the information required to make an application including the application form.

Current funded areas by the Foundation include arts, welfare; community, education, health, youth, environment and religion. The trustees do not support animal welfare charities. Charities are asked not to reapply within a twelve-month period of an appeal to the Foundation, whether they have received a grant or not.

There is no deadline for applications, which are normally processed within three to four months of receipt. Applications for funding should be made in writing and must include a covering letter and a completed application form, downloadable from their website below. Completed applications should be sent to their postal address below.

Further information from:
The Administrator
Garfield Weston Foundation
10 Grosvenor Street London W1K 4QY

Tel: 020 7399 6565
Website: www.garfieldweston.org

City Parochial Foundation

The Foundation aims to enable and empower the poor of London to tackle poverty and its root causes, and to ensure that funds reach those most in need. They make grants through the open programme and also fund special initiatives and aim to develop supportive relationships with the community and voluntary organizations that they fund and to encourage the sharing of learning and skills.

The Foundation’s open programme has four priority areas. They aim:

•  To improve employment opportunities for disadvantaged people;
• To promote the inclusion of recent arrivals to the UK;
• To promote social justice;
• To strengthen the voluntary and community sector.

They primarily support small to medium-sized organisations, usually with an expenditure of more than £30,000 and less than £1 million. They want to make sure that their funds reach the people who need them most, especially those who are excluded and are particularly disadvantaged and discriminated against. Some of their work benefits all those living in poverty, while other work targets particular groups. These may include women, black and minority ethnic communities, asylum seekers and refugees, lesbians and gay men, disabled people (including those with mental health issues), young men and poor white communities.

They do not send out application forms but run a two-stage application process starting with a brief proposal. Detailed guidelines are available from their website. The application process takes quite a long time, so you need to contact them at least three months before the relevant deadlines which are:

• 7 February for the June Grants Committee;
• 30 May for the October Grants Committee;
• 25 October for the March Grants Committee

City Parochial Foundation
6 Middle Street
London
EC1A 7PH

Tel: 020 7606 6145
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cityparochial.org.uk

The LankellyChase Foundation

For 2009-2014 the Foundation’s funding programmes include:

• Arts …promoting excellence and exploring the power of the arts

• Breaking Cycles of Abuse …promoting safe and protective behaviours

• Custody and Community …promoting alternatives

• Free and Quiet Minds …seeking to restore troubled minds and lives

• Local People, Local Places …strengthening local communities and organisations

There are no set deadlines and grants vary depending on the programme. Note that they do not fund organisations based in London or Northern Ireland.

The Foundation welcomes telephone enquiries and general enquiries by email. Applications can be made by post or email, and are accepted as received, allow up to 6 months for processing.

Further information:
The LankellyChase Foundation

1 The Court
High Street
Harwell
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11 0EY

Tel: 01235 820044
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.lankellychase.org.uk

JPaul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust

The Trust's main aim is to fund well managed projects across the UK that help to relieve poverty, support disadvantaged people to reach their potential and effect long-term change where help is not readily available from the public or private purse. The Trust also provides limited funding for the arts and conservation of the natural and built environment.

Please note that the Trust is currently prioritising applications from outside London and the South East of England in order to ensure that funds are distributed to all parts of the UK.

The Trust’s main beneficial areas is Social Welfare which includes:

• Mental Health
• Offenders
• Homelessness
• Young People and Communities
• Employment and Volunteering
• Ethnic Minorities

Grants are usually in the £5,000 - 15,000 range, for both capital and revenue. See the website for details of the application process.

Please note that the Trust is making operational changes during the spring to summer of 2009. Check with the website for further updates.

Contact: Elizabeth Rantzen
Director
J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust
1 Park Square West London NW1 4LJ

Tel: (020) 7486 1859
Website: www.jpgettytrust.org.uk

anchor:nominetNominet Trust

The Nominet Trust is a charity that provides funding to innovative projects which strive to improve and encourage the safe use of the Internet for educational, inclusion and other charitable purposes. Initial funding has come from Nominet, www.nominet.org.uk which maintains the .uk register of domain names and is one of the world's largest Internet registries.

The Nominet Trust will consider funding UK-based and international Internet-related initiatives in the sectors of education, research and development, safety and inclusion. These initiatives should meet the needs of their target groups, who are the young, the elderly, the disabled and sick, the disadvantaged, and those who are vulnerable.

The projects must:

• Be a new initiative or a distinctive extension of an existing project
• Be original and innovative - or provide a fresh and different approach to an existing project
• Have a wide reach or demonstrable potential in the long term
• Make a significant difference to the users
• Be through a formal entity or organisation
• Be capable of delivering what is promised - with risk and mitigation assessed
• Have the Internet at the core

In order to apply, organisations must first complete the eligibility questionnaire which is on the Trust’s website. After assessment, if they wish to progress the application further, a link to a full application form will be sent. The grants board meets quarterly.

For more information:

Tel: 01865 334000
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nominettrust.org.uk

Useful Links

ICT Hub Sources of Funders Research (Jan 2007 updated March 2008) Funders that fund ICT. Includes a list of over 50 funders, background information, funding checklist, a full report on the research and other useful appendices.

How To Cost and Fund ICT – Published by the ICT Hub, includes downloadable guide (1.3 MB PDF document, requires Adobe Reader. If you don't have this download it free from Adobe)

10 Tips for Funding Technology A TechSoup article on how to fund and sustain technology in your organisation so you can do the work that really matters

Writing a Good Grant Application for an ICT project Anne Murray, Information Officer for the Baring Foundation, gives some useful guidance on how to ensure you get funding for your project

Writing a Winning Grants Proposal - how clear goals and a careful cost/benefit evaluation helps with applying for grants.