Rural Action Yorkshire are organising a series of free events across the county  ‘Survival Skills for Community Groups beyond 2012’. Community groups and voluntary organisations can come along and find out about the support on offer and attend workshops on:

• Sources of funding available to community groups
• Running community buildings effectively
• Marketing your group and using social media
• Advice and support available from partners and organisations
• Supporting each other through a rural network

There will be plenty of time to ask questions, talk to  support agencies about how they can help you and network with other community groups like yours. The South Yorkshire Rural Network Project has been providing advice and support to rural community groups and voluntary and community organisations over the last three years and would really like to hear your views about whether the support has been helpful and what it could do to best support you in the future.

The meetings are as follows:

Barnsley: 21 May, 6:30 – 8:30,  Silkstone Pavillion, Silkstone, Barnsley, S75 4NG
Doncaster: 24 May, 6:30 – 8:30, Bawtry Library, Bawtry, Doncaster, DN10 6NE
Sheffield: 28 May, 6:30 – 8:30, Bradfield Village Hall, Low Bradfield, Sheffield, S6 6LB
Rotherham: 31 May, 5:30 – 7:30, Kiveton Park & Wales Village Hall, Kiveton Park, S26 5RF

Refreshments will be available from half an hour before the start. Please book a place so they can cater for you.

Contact: Lucy Atkins, Rural Action Yorkshire
Telephone: 07834 322296,
Email: lucy.atkins@ruralyorkshire.org.uk

Doncaster Council are looking to set up a framework for a number of 16-18 care, support and accommodation providers within 20 miles of Doncaster. They want to support people who are care leavers, young homeless and young offenders.

This framework is designed to invite new provision to Doncaster so they are allowing providers looking to set up new services to tender. Should a provider be successful in securing a place on the framework then the new service they proposed must be operational within 4 months of the contract award date.

The aims of the framework are to:

• Ensure quality supply
• Increase number of quality facilities in the local area
• Improve standards of living and augment skills of young people in care
• Provide accommodation and care appropriate for the young person.

Details:

Application deadline: 17.00 on 28 May
Duration: 25 June 2012 for 2 years
Contact: Allan Madeley, Doncaster Council
Telephone: 01302 737664
Email: allan.madeley@doncaster.gov.uk

The Investment and Contract Readiness Fund is a new £10 million fund which will provide grants to social ventures with the potential for high growth. It is aimed at social ventures which are financially sustainable and wishing to grow and is will be focussing on helping them raise capital of a minimum of £500,000. Eligible social ventures can include registered charities, social enterprises, community and voluntary organisations, social businesses, charities and mutuals. The fund is from the Office for Civil Society and is being managed by the Social Investment Business.

Social ventures can only apply to the fund in partnership with an approved adviser and can apply for between £50,000 - £100,000 to buy specialised contract readiness support and to pay for some of the costs of moving their investment/contract readiness plan forward.

It will open to applications on 21 May 2012.

The fund is currently looking for organisations to become approved providers providing support to social ventures. You can apply via the website.

For more information see the website at: www.beinvestmentready.org.uk

Community Games supports sporting and cultural activities inspired by, and in celebration of, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

If you are organising a community event between now and October 2012, register your event with community games to access:

• A Community Games grant of up to £500
• Support and help to organise and promote your event
• Resources – t-shirts, certificates, banners, bunting, posters etc

Deadlines for applications are at 1.00 on the following days:
11 May, 15 June, 13th July and 10th August

A limited amount of funding is available, so the money may run out before the final dates.

Grant application form and guidance are available from the website:

www.sysport.co.uk/community_games

South East Community Assembly operates across the four wards of Woodhouse, Birley, Beighton and Mosborough. It has two pots of money available to support community activities in the area, with two different ways of accessing them:

The Emerging Issues Fund has £41,000 available in 2012/13. Groups in the area are able to bid for up to £3,000 throughout the year while funds remain.
The fund will  particularly support:
• Environmental activity
• Activities aimed at the younger or older sections of the community, or those in need of support
• Activity that seeks to bring communities together
• Activity that promotes community safety
• The costs of tutors and equipment or materials may be included in this.
Applications will be considered monthly; the form and guidance are available from the Area Assembly team.

South East Open Access Young People’s Activities - the Assembly is inviting organisations to tender to provide activities for young people. £25,000 is available in total – groups can tender for all or part of that; details are in a tender brief here. Activities should be:
• Across the four wards
• Free, well publicised and equally open to all local young people aged 11-19
• Suitable for different audiences

An expression of interest form is available from the Assembly team, and needs to be returned by 11 May.

Contact: Mick Fellowes (Assembly Officer)
South East Community Assembly Team
Sheffield City Council,
Town Hall,
Pinstone Street S1 2HH
Telephone: 0114 273 6929
Email: communityassemblysoutheast@sheffield.gov.uk
Website: www.southeastassembly.wordpress.com

Sheffield Star have reported that charities who are interested in becoming beneficiaries of next year’s Sheffield half marathon are being asked to make contact with the organisers. Ten charities will be chosen to be supported by the event.

If you are interested in putting your charity forward you have until May 14 2012 to register your interest.

See the full Sheffield Star report here.

Website: www.thestar.co.uk/community/marathon-organisers-in-appeal-to-charities-1-4501100?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed#

Katharine Boardman from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will be doing a presentation on the funding programmes they have available for groups. Caroline Burns from SYFAB will also run a workshop on making your project more attractive to HLF. If you are currently working on an HLF application, you are welcome to bring it with you for discussion.

You can find out more about the Heritage Lottery Fund here.

Date: 24 May 2012, 9:30 - 12:30
Venue: Meeting Room, Doncaster Library, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3JE

Please contact us to book a place.

Contact: SYFAB
Telephone:0114 249 4343
Email: advice@syfab.org.uk

Community First funding has opened for applications in Darnall and Firth Park wards for  grants up to £2,500. Each ward panel sets its own priorities so check details with them, and get their guidance notes and application forms. The overall aims of the fund are to:

• support local projects that improve the quality of life for local people
• promote a sense of ownership not only of problems but of local opportunities
• start more neighbourhood groups and revitalise existing groups

Darnall:

Deadline: 5.30pm on 25 May
Contact: Tinsley Forum
Telephone: 0114 244 5021
Email: admin@tinsleyforum.co.uk

Firth Park
Deadline: 30 May
Contact: Firth Park Community First Panel
Telephone: 0114 233 2984
Email: fpcfp@hotmail.co.uk

Free funding advice surgeries are available for Rotherham voluntary and community groups. You can book an appointment to talk to a SYFAB worker face-to-face about your projects. In the session we can talk generally about how to find funding, or advise on how to plan and present a project, identify suitable funders, or prepare applications.

The next sessions are running on the following dates:

15 May, 26 June.

They will be held at Voluntary Action Rotherham. You need to contact us to book a place.

We are also running funding advice surgeries in Doncaster, Barnsley and Sheffield. Please contact us for further information or see our earlier posting at: http://syfab.org.uk/fundingnews/2012/02/02/free-funding-surgeries-from-syfab.

Contact: SYFAB
Telephone: 0114 249 4343
Email: enquiries@syfab.org.uk
Website: www.syfab.org.uk

Grants are available from Sheffield’s South Community Assembly (Nether Edge, Graves Park, Beauchief & Greenhill and Gleadless Valley wards):

Positive Activities Funding: grants of £500 - £2,000 for groups in the South Assembly Area working with 8 - 13 year olds.

Deadline is 6 June 2012.

Community Assembly Small Grants Funding: £250 - £1,000 available only in Graves Park and Nether Edge wards (the other wards have Community First funding available - see here). It is targeted at small local groups that promote the wellbeing of people and communities at risk of social exclusion by providing group activities. Projects should contribute to at least one of the Assembly’s priority themes:

• Environment
• Children and young people
• Safer and stronger neighbourhoods
• Health and wellbeing
• Learning, skills and employment
• Supporting communities.

Deadline is 30 May 2012.

Guidance notes and application forms for both grants are available through the website below.

Contact: South Community Assembly
Telephone: 0114 205 3050
Email: communityassemblysouth@sheffield.gov.uk
Website (blog): www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/community-assemblies/south/funding.html