Fairer Futures Fund – Locality Small Grants

  


Dear Sutton Coldfield Groups and Organisations

Fairer Futures Fund – Locality Small Grants

We wish to tell you about a grant programme which was launched last week by Heart of England Community Foundation and BSol ICS (Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System), called Birmingham Fairer Futures Fund – Locality Small Grants.

The ten Neighbourhood Network Schemes (NNSs) in Birmingham have been asked to support local community organisations who wish to apply for these latest grants. The north locality area is made up of two NNS teams, Sutton Coldfield NNS led by Age Concern Birmingham and Erdington NNS led by Witton Lodge Community Association. In Sutton Coldfield and Erdington we have a mutually shared partner, Compass Support (part of the Pioneer Group).

The north locality area (Sutton Coldfield and Erdington) has been allocated a combined grant budget of £384,163, which could fund applications up to the individual value of £15,000 each per year for three year projects. If sufficient assets (community organisations) from the north locality make successful applications to this grant programme, it would fund around 8.5 projects at the maximum value of £45,000 each over 3 years.

Some key points we want you to be aware of about the Locality Small Grants programme:

  • Fairer Futures Fund supports improved health and care services, reduction in inequalities and enhances access to care.
  • The Locality Small Grants programme will fund projects that meet priorities within four main themes. It is imperative that organisations read and understand these themes and address interventions in your application which specifically support one of the sub-priorities.
  • Your application should be innovative and specific to the themes and sub-priorities in the guidance, the fund won’t pay for existing services and should be evidenced with local need.
  • Your application must be seen and approved by either Erdington or Sutton Coldfield NNS teams (in the north locality) before final submission on 9th January 2025.
  • There is a relatively short window in which to develop and submit an application to this fund, we advise groups to work within this schedule:
    • Late October to early November 2024 – find out about the fund, read all the guidance, attend a community event in Sutton Coldfield/Erdington, make contact with our NNS teams to discuss your ideas and explain your interest.
    • November to early December 2024 – Produce a draft of your application and send it to the NNS team by 15th December.
    • Late December / early January 2025 - Liaise with the NNS team in order to make changes if needed and produce your final draft.
    • Submit your final application to the Programme website by 9th January 2025, prepare to submit all information and answer all questions indicated in the application guidance.
    • Successful awards will be made from March 2025 onwards.

We are planning to hold a north locality event for assets from both Erdington and Sutton Coldfield on Friday 25th October 2024 at Witton Lodge Community Association, 87 Witton Lodge Road, B23 5JD, between 12 and 4pm. At the event we will provide fuller information and guidance about the programme and answer questions about your ideas and whether the fund is for you.

In the meantime, please read the detailed information about the programme at these links: 

Information about the programme on Heart of England Community Foundation website:

https://www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk/birmingham-fairer-futures-fund-locality-small-grants/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF1xzVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVAMu2p8BCZlMy7b7mgWqZDnPvFXbHH6n4CE1TK5utiEkyUQpCKBv7gMNQ_aem_1a4IYmvDMeD2_zT6--wmHQ

Includes a video of Zoe Sweeney, Programme Manager at Heart of England Community Foundation, explaining the applicant guidance.

Applicant Guidance on FFF Locality Small Grants Programme including the four themes and sub-priorities:

https://www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BFFF-Application-support-presentation-slides-PDF.pdf

Application questions and guidance:

https://www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Birmingham-Fairer-Futures-Localities-Small-Grants-Application-questions-support.pdf

Please let us know if you can come to the event or if you are interested in applying to this programme so that we can mail you further information.

Groups in Sutton Coldfield please email nns@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk with the subject line Fairer Futures Fund – Locality Small Grants   

Groups in Erdington please email enns@wittonlodge.org.uk (subject line as above).

 


VCSFE & Partners Presentation Platform

Dear all,

As many of you will already be aware the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme’s focus on prevention, early intervention and personalised care means that partnership, diversity, and opportunity for access are essential to promote choice, freedom, and control for all users, their carers and their families. With this in mind, we are now co-ordinating a central space where agencies will have the opportunity to attend a monthly VCFSE Presentation Platform where you will have the opportunity to promote services, discuss partnership opportunities and future developments.

This invite is open to all and will launch on Thursday 14th November 1.00pm to 2.00pm on a rolling monthly timetable so the dates are as follows:


  • 14th November 2024
  • 12th December 2024
  • 9th January 2025
  • 13th March 2025
  • 10th April 2025
  • 8th May 2025
  • 12th June 2025
  • 10th July 2025
  • 14th August 2025
  • 11th September 2025
  • 9th October 2025

 

As outlined above; it will operate as a Teams meeting with the opportunity to book a 10-minute presentation slot, with a 5 minutes Q&A session.

There will be x 4 available slots to book into each month which will be recorded, shared with clinical leads and staff and uploaded onto both our VCFSE & Community Intranet page as well as The Waiting Room Platform and shared widely amongst partners. To book a time slot to present, please complete this short form https://forms.office.com/e/k0u9AN3eELand a member of the team will confirm a time slot with you.  

Some presentation prompts include:

  • What your provision is
  • Where you deliver in the city (e.g. Outreach, remote, city centre)
  • What the criteria is for access (e.g. Age, ethnicity, gender, postcode)
  • What you consider future partnerships will look like
  • Throughputs and outcomes

Please note:  Slots will be booked on a first come first served basis unless thematic sessions are pre-requested.

Please keep an eye out for the MS Teams invites that will follow shortly, and if you have any questions or comments on the above please contact me via my email Claire.rigby9@nhs.net


Financial Wellness training for Ladywood community assets

Financial Wellness training for Ladywood community assets

Financial Wellness training for Ladywood community assets

6th November 2024 10am-13pm

Birmingham Friends of the Earth, The Warehouse, 54-57 Allison Street, B5 5TH

Register: lu.ma/I1cg3i38