DfE announces £120m grant funding programme
Neil Puffett
Monday, October 29, 2012
A total of £120m will be made available to boost services for early years, safeguarding and the care system as part of a Department for Education grant programme, it has been announced.
Voluntary and community sector organisations, social enterprises and organisations bidding on a "not-for-profit” basis, will be able to apply for the cash, made up of £30m in grant funding and £30m in contracts, in both 2013/14 and 2014/15.
In a written ministerial statement, children’s minister Edward Timpson said: “We hope to receive new, innovative proposals for work which can make a real difference on the ground and inform and guide national policy in our priority areas.”
Funding will be directed towards work that delivers on five priority areas identified by the DfE. These include promoting excellence in early education and childcare and developing and reforming safeguarding services.
Work to improve the care system and speed up the process of adoption, will also be prioritised, as will services that support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
There will also be a focus on improving outcomes for young people, particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.
A prospectus for the programme has been placed on the DfE website. The two-year funding programme follows a similar scheme launched in 2011, which aimed to help the voluntary and community sector shift from a reliance on central government grant-based funding to being able to “compete in open markets”.
Funding is available from April 2013 and bids must be received by noon on 30 November 2012.
