Lloyds Bank Foundation

Its focus is to help organisations change practice and policy, and offers grants and practical support to help charities, particularly small- and medium-sized, to develop and grow.

In 2016, the Foundation awarded £12.7m to 281 charities in England and Wales through its three core programmes. In addition, it provided extra support to 182 existing organisations it funds and mentoring from Lloyds Bank staff to 301 local charities.

The programmes focus on key transition points in people's lives, including a number affecting children and young people, such as being in care or leaving care; ceasing to be at risk from abuse, exploitation or trafficking; becoming a young parent; becoming a young carer; being unemployed or out of education and training; in vulnerable housing or homeless; having substance misuse or addiction problems; exiting youth offending or custody; moving mental health care setting; and refugees settling in the UK.

The two main programmes open to new grant applications are Invest and Enable.

• Invest grants provide longer-term core or direct delivery funding for eligible charities that are delivering clear outcomes as a result of their work. These grants are between £10,000 and £25,000 per year for two or three years, with the potential for continuation funding for a further period - up to six years in total.
• Enable grants help charities develop their operations. They are up to a total of £15,000 over one or two years, and can fund organisational improvements, development of areas such as leadership and governance, improved systems and demonstrating outcomes.

Invest programme

Initial applications for the next round of Invest grants opens on 29 August and closes on 22 September.

Examples of core costs it will fund include building and IT running costs, rent, staff salaries, back office costs and insurance. Direct delivery costs funded include recruitment, sessional workers, volunteer expenses, training, promotion and evaluation costs.

Applicants need to outline the length of the project or underlying work and length of the grant being sought. If successful, it will award a grant for an initial two- or three-year period, with negotiated extensions after that if necessary.

Monitoring of outcomes is a key element of Invest, and the Foundation expects charities to put systems in place to measure impact and effectiveness. Grant recipients need to report on the number of people who have achieved one or more of the following transition outcomes and one or more progression outcomes.

• Transition outcomes: independence and safety; accessing work; becoming a volunteer; stopped offending; obtained qualifications and re-entered training or education; moved into safe accommodation or independent living; managing addictions; and managing mental health issues.
• Progression outcomes: improved safety; improved confidence; improved physical and mental health; reduced isolation; better money management skills; improved employability; reduced stress and anxiety; reduced substance misuse; and improved living and basic skills, including managing a tenancy.

Enable programme

Applications for Enable grants are accepted on an ongoing basis and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application within six months of it being received.

Applicants must identify clear development areas which will support their growth. It can fund a range of activities related to the development and improvement of the capability of an organisation, such as business and service developments and plans; development of monitoring systems; investigation of mergers, partnerships, shared services and contract diversification; consultancy support; quality standards; and development of income streams and enterprise.

How to apply

When making an application, charities must ensure they are a registered charity; have an income between £25,000 and £1m; and work with disadvantaged people aged 17 and over. If successful with an initial application, charities will be visited by a grant manager to discuss the bid in detail and complete the full application. The decision on whether to award a grant is made by a grants panel.

More from: https://www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/our-programmes/national-programmes/

Funding roundup

• The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse is open for bids to its Evaluation Fund. The fund is open to organisations in England and Wales that provide programmes in educational settings or work to support children and young people at risk of, or experiencing, child sexual abuse or exploitation. Grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 help services better measure the results of their work and understanding what works. www.csacentre.org.uk/about-us/evaluation-fund/
• Greenwich Domestic Violence Children's Service has received a donation of £5,000 from Aberdeen Asset Management to help support up to 50 children affected by trauma from abuse. The service, run by charity Housing for Women, sees vulnerable children receive therapeutic support from a children's worker to build self-esteem and social skills. http://hfw.org.uk/
• Children's charities are among 32 to receive a slice of £1m from theSkills & Opportunities Fund run by banking group NatWest. They include YMCA Birmingham, which will train 70 former homeless young people in money management skills, and Urban Exchange, which offers training and mentoring for young people. http://skillsandopportunitiesfund.natwest.com/winners/
• Connects and Co, a Norfolk-based charity that works with young carers, has received funding from The Mason Trust for its Cadet Scheme. The scheme offers career support and job training to young carers who may miss education due to their caring role. The trust works with schools and further education colleges to forge stronger links between education and industry. www.themasontrust.org/