Funding opportunities - community and voluntary sector

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This is just a flavour of the funding opportunities currently available - for more options, go to our online funding portal Renfrewshire 4 Community.

They like to consider work which others may find hard to fund, perhaps because it breaks new ground or appears too risky, requires core funding or needs a more unusual form of financial help such as a loan.

Grants are awarded twice a year and range from £500 to £10,000, although extraordinary projects may receive grants up to £50,000. Applications are not accepted from the same organisation in successive grant cycles.

The foundation looks for situations where small amounts of funds will make significant impact and is particularly interested in the following areas:

• community building
• the environment
• strengthening non-profits, and
• supporting families.

For full details of their grant programmes and the application process, go to the Ibrahim Foundation website.

The Santander Foundation is committed to supporting local communities and disadvantaged people, particularly in those areas where Santander has a significant presence. If you are looking to apply to the foundation for funding, visit the Santander website and read the guidance carefully.

Most donations will be between £500 and £4,000, with the average donation worth around £2,500. However, in those areas where they have a Community Partnership Group (Greater Glasgow is listed as an area), you can apply for up to a maximum of £20,000, with the average donation worth around £4,500.

The Nationwide Foundation Small Grants Scheme offers grants of up to £5,000 to registered charities with incomes of under £500,000.

Application forms are only accessible from their website and must be completed in full. For more information and application guidelines, visit the Nationwide Foundation website.

The Make a Splash scheme offers small grants to groups to encourage people to get involved in arts and crafts activities and to keep them involved. Grants can be used to help pay for a range of things including equipment, publicity, venue hire, staff/volunteer time and materials. If you run taster sessions, there should be opportunities for people to continue pursuing activities or join your group.

You can apply for grants of between £250 and £2,000 up to 100% of your costs. For more information, go to the People Making Waves website.

Established in 1996, the Scottish Community Foundation has distributed £23million to projects across Scotland, awarding around 800 grants worth £3.5million each year. The foundation administers grants for a number of trusts, some of which are national whilst others are local.

About 60% of the grants are for under £10,000 and you do not have to be a registered charity to apply. Over half of all grants given go to those with an annual income of under £25,000.

Aside from the Lottery distributors, the foundation makes more grants in Scotland than any other independent funder. Grants are given to support projects that strengthen local communities, create opportunities for local people and tackle issues of disadvantage and exclusion.

You can apply for grants to help with:

• general running costs such as rent or staff salaries
• activities and events
• equipment or materials
• marketing and awareness-raising initiatives, and
• training or activities to build the capacity of your group.

You can find out more on the Scottish Community Foundation website.