Eligibility: Inclusion Grant

The Inclusion Grant supports initiatives that encourage Economic and/or Social Inclusion.
Applications will be assessed on how they meet those objectives

Objective – Economic inclusion:

• Removing barriers to employment, training and volunteering
• Reducing child poverty
• Tackling Fuel Poverty
• Improving financial wellbeing

Objective – Social inclusion:

• Reducing isolation and loneliness
• Promoting independence
• Building citizenship, confidence and aspiration

Amounts

Grants between £5,000 and £10,000 are usually awarded although we will consider amounts outside these guidelines where they demonstrate significant community value.

Where

We fund projects delivered in the North East for the benefit of local communities.  We especially welcome applications from projects that reach and support communities where Bernicia tenants live.  See our Operating Area for details.

• Registered charities, including charitable companies
• Constituted voluntary or community organisations
• Organisations which have previously been awarded funding, regardless of when the previous grant was awarded.

A note for CICs (Community interest Companies)

We will not fund CICs, co-operatives and social enterprises that are not charities, except in these very specific circumstances. We will only fund

• charitable costs of setting up the enterprise
• charitable costs of developing new goods and services
• charitable costs of setting up to trade in a new market
• We will not fund the cost delivering services or make a contribution to core running costs. These should be financed by the sale of goods and services in line with the organisation’s governance model.
• A sound business plan must be included with your application

Applicants will only be considered if they:

• are based or working in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham or Teesside (see our geography section)
• have an annual income under £750,000
• have no more than 6 months’ running costs in reserve
• have a governing document (a constitution, rules, articles of association etc.)
• have a governing body of at least three unrelated individuals
• have their own bank account
• have a safeguarding policy in place (where working with vulnerable people or children)
• Delivering sports activity or requesting funds for club refurbishments will not be considered a high priority for funding. Sports and arts applications should be able to demonstrate a strong community benefit against one of the key fund criteria.
• There is no time restriction on when previous grant recipients can reapply for further funding.

The Programme will not fund:

• Community Interest Companies (CICs), Cooperatives and other social enterprises that are not charities, except in very specific circumstances outlined in “who can apply” above
• Contributions to general appeals or circulars
• Religious and/or political activity, which is not for the wider public benefit
• Routine building or equipment repairs and maintenance
• Activities which have already taken place/retrospective funding
• Grant making by other organisations/third party funding
• Privately owned and profit-distributing companies or limited partnerships
• Delivering sports activity or requesting funds for club refurbishments will not be considered a high priority for funding. Sports and arts applications should be able to demonstrate a strong community benefit against one of the key fund criteria.

In recognition of the challenges facing voluntary and community organisations (VCSE’s) across the North East, we have relaxed some of our eligibility criteria.

Priority Areas

We have removed geographic priorities and will consider applications for delivery in these communities across the North East

• Northumberland
• North Tyneside
• Newcastle
• Gateshead
• South Tyneside
• Sunderland
• County Durham
• Hartlepool
• Redcar
• Middlesbrough
• Stockton on Tees
• Darlington

We continue to encourage applications from projects delivered in communities where Bernicia tenants mostly live.

Previous Applicants

Previous successful applicants can reapply for funding irrespective of when that funding was awarded (previously we had a time limit on when anyone could reapply for funding)