Guide to the Voluntary Sector --> Funding for the Voluntary Sector in Wales
There are many funding sources available from within Wales and the United Kingdom for the voluntary sector. This is a brief overview of some of the more important resources containing information on funding.
Funding for the Voluntary Sector in Wales
The Funding for the Voluntary Sector is part of the National Assembly for Wales website and provides details and links to a range of grant schemes that provide funding for voluntary sector organisations in Wales. There are over 20 grant schemes listed. The Wales Council for Voluntary Action provides details of its grants and also has information on funding opportunities available for the voluntary sector in Wales. The website also has a FAQ on funding for the voluntary sector.
Cydcoed is a £16M Forestry Commission Wales grant programme funded by the European Union (Objective 1) and Welsh Assembly Government. It gives up to 100% grants and support to community groups to help them use woodland for community development. The website provides details of how to apply for CydCoed grant and has information on its many projects throughout the whole of Wales.
Many other websites provide plenty of useful information on funding in Wales. Even though they focus on a particular area in Wales, they also provide a general overview of the funding process. They include:
- Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations
- Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services
- Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services
The Code of Practice for the Voluntary Sector is published by the Communities Directorate of the National Assembly for Wales. It is an online document outlying the key principles which will underpin Assembly funding for the voluntary sector and what the Assembly expects in return. The document explains how an organisation can apply for the voluntary sector funding and what happens to the application once it is sent.
The National Lottery
Funding for the Voluntary Sector also comes from the National Lottery. There are many bodies in Wales that are involved with distributing lottery funding. They include:
- Big Lottery Fund was created by merging the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund in 2004. It will hand out half the money for good causes from the National Lottery. The website has a section on Wales. Information is also available from the Community Fund and New Opportunities Fund websites.
- Arts Council for Wales (information is available from their funding page).
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Sports Council for Wales
For further information relating to lottery funding, it is worth visiting the Lottery Portal.
Grants and Trusts in Wales
The following resources are examples of some of the Welsh based bodies and trusts that provide grants to voluntary and community groups in Wales.
The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust provides grants to support projects in the sport, arts, culture and environment sectors. The Trust income is generated through a levy of 25 pence on every ticket purchased for public events at the Millennium stadium. As a result, £600,000 has been raised. The website provides notes for applicants and details of the Traws Cymru awards, established to foster greater understanding among the young people of Wales through cultural and sporting exchanges.
The Laura Ashley Foundation was established in 1986, shortly after the death of Laura Ashley, the world famous clothes designer. The foundation has a strong commitment to art and design and to Wales, and has given many grants to many projects in rural Wales and established a number of bursaries. The website has details and case studies of the grants given to projects in Wales and guidelines for applicants.
Many other UK based trusts and charities provide grants to many projects in Wales. There are over 8000 grant-making trusts and foundations in the United Kingdom- information of these are available from your local voluntary service or organisation. Grantnet was developed to advise and guide organisations on matters relating to grant aid - from identifying what is available to whom. It has information on over 4000 grants, incentives and loans.