[WiLT] Reaching Communities: Improvements to be introduced from Spring 2010

[WiL Admin]

Reaching Communities: Improvements to be introduced from Spring 2010

Reaching Communities is remaining open.

Reaching Communities will continue to be a key element of our increased
commitment to deliver the vast majority of our funding to the voluntary and
community sector.

There is no change to who can apply, what we will fund, or the difference we
want to make with this programme. The programme will continue to make awards
between £10,000 and £500,000 and will continue to fund for up to five years

Funding available

At least £300 million will be awarded to projects making a difference to the
lives of individuals and communities most in need through our Reaching
Communities programme until 2013.

What improvements have you made?

We are making a series of improvements to Reaching Communities to enhance our
customers’ experience:

There will be a more proportionate approach for groups applying for up to
£40K/annum – for these applicants there will be a simpler application process
and quicker decision making than if you are asking for more than £40K per year.
In particular this should benefit smaller organisations.

>From April you will be able to apply for capital funding up to the value of
£100k; this will be of particular benefit to those groups based in London and
the South-East, where construction costs are higher than in other parts of the
country.

We are also in the process of developing a community buildings stream to launch
later this year. More information on this will be made available as the
programme development continues.

There will be more support for applicants at every stage of the application
process, particularly in those areas and for those groups that have received
less funding than we would have expected.

We will support networking and learning opportunities for those we fund to learn
from each other and encourage them to share good practice.

How to apply

The current outline proposal form will be available to download until Wednesday
31st March. Applicants will have until Friday 30th April to submit the form, but
will still have up to six months to submit a full application.

>From 1st April the new improved outline proposal form will be available to
download. Applicants will be told within 20 working days if they will be invited
to complete a full application form.

If you are not invited to submit a full application you will receive clearer,
more detailed feedback highlighting the areas that will need to be improved to
enhance your chances of going forward. Applicants can submit another application
when they are ready.

A full application form will need to be completed within four months. We will
take less time to assess your full application. We anticipate that if you are
invited to submit a full application you will have a much better chance of
success. Current programme success rate is 28 per cent.

http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/reaching_communities100210.pdf


Summary of the programme


Note: From Spring 2010 BIG will be introducing improvements to Reaching
Communities to make our application process better for you. (see above)

Reaching Communities programme will remain open to applications.

The budget for Reaching Communities will be at least £130 million this year
(2009/10) .

Reaching Communities funds projects that help people and communities who are
most in need, and can really make a difference. Projects can be new or existing
activities, or be the core work of your organisation.

We want to fund projects that respond to needs identified by communities, and
those that fund projects that help those most in need including those people or
groups who are hard to reach.

We want to encourage the following changes to communities as a result of our
funding:
* people having better chances in life, including being able to get better
access to training and development to improve their life skills
* strong communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle
their problems
* improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to
access and enjoy
* healthier and more active people and communities.

Times have changed. BIG has recognised the difficulties experienced by projects
and communities during the current economic downturn, be it increased call on
the services offered, greater need for assistance or help in accessing other
services, and accepts that we should be supporting communities and people most
in need where possible during this difficult time. In light of the current
economic circumstances BIG has decided to relax the eligibility criteria for
Reaching Communities to enable these projects to apply for funding.

The Reaching Communities programme will now accept applications for projects
that were previously eligible for other BIG programmes. A full list is available
in the Updated Signposting guidance Updated Signposting guidance for - 34KB  -
http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/rc_signposting_guide.pdf

Are you eligible?

You can apply to Reaching Communities if you are:
* a registered charity
* a voluntary or community group
* a statutory body, (including schools)
* a charitable or not-for-profit company
* a social enterprise – a business that is chiefly run for social objectives,
whose profits are reinvested in the business rather than going to shareholders
and owners.

What to do next

Questions about Reaching Communities? Find out more
http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities.htm?regioncode=-uk&status=theProg&tab=3&

Reaching Communities has proven to be a popular and highly competitive
programme. Sadly, we have had to turn down some very good projects. You should
note the high levels of interest in this programme and consider whether your
project would be better suited to another Big Lottery Fund programme.

Contact
* Call our national helpline for advice on 0845 410 20 30.
* Email us at general.enquiries at biglotteryfund.org.uk
* Call our Lottery Funding Helpline on 0845 275 00 00 or go to
http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk

Source
http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities.htm?regioncode=-uk&status=theProg