The grant funding allocation per annum is currently £55,500.

Identified priority areas

• Strengthening communities
• Isolation and loneliness
• Access to support services
• Fuel poverty and cost of living impact
• Digital access & outreach
• Tackling inequalities

Specific aims

This programme aims to ensure Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations in Warwick District receive the information, guidance, and representation needed to strengthen their work and improve outcomes for local communities.

Key requirements

1. Access to information and guidance

• Provide expert advice to VCFSE groups and organisations
• Equip organisations with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to support the local community
• Support VCFSE groups and organisations to operate safely, in line with the Charity Commission and other legislation

2. Communication and collaboration

• Facilitate partnerships working to secure funding and deliver programmes
• Support the development of new networks and strengthen existing forums
• Promote the sharing of best practice to encourage innovation and new activity

3. Organisational development

• Deliver regular organisational “health checks”
• Build capacity with funding advice to utilise a diverse range of funders
• Increased confidence in key areas of organisational delivery
• Help organisations to achieve external accreditation as appropriate and raise levels of professionalism

4. Representation and advocacy

• Represent the sector’s interests to public bodies and strategic partners
• Ensure diverse perspectives are communicated effectively
• Enable sector involvement in consultation, emergency response, and policy development

5. Volunteering development

• Increase access to volunteering opportunities
• Support organisations to recruit and develop local volunteers
• Engage with individuals facing barriers to participation
• Develop volunteering pathways to increase access to employment
• Promote the benefits of volunteering in Warwick District

Funding priorities

The fund supports VCFSE and not-for-profit organisations delivering services to vulnerable clients in Warwick District.

Priority will be given to activity in Brunswick, Lillington, Sydenham and Warwick West

Applications should

• Deliver support across the district, including rural areas
• Strengthen sustainability of VCFSE organisations and groups in rural areas that will help residents struggling with loneliness and isolation
• Strengthen the district’s third sector to build capacity to support vulnerable residents and add value to WDC investments in VCFSE sector

Programme delivery

Applicants must demonstrate:

• A strong understanding of the challenges that face VCFSE organisations
• Experience of delivering consultancy-style support for third-sector groups

Support may include tailored packages agreed with each organisation, such as:

• Targeted interventions (for example, volunteer recruitment strategies)
• Broader approaches to improve organisational resilience

Key areas of demand include:

• Fundraising and income generation
• Volunteer recruitment and retention

Capacity, experience and knowledge

Applicants should evidence:

• Ability to diagnose organisational needs
• Development of tailored support programmes
• Delivery of training and facilitation
• Expertise across key areas, particularly fundraising, income generation, and volunteer development
• A flexible, bespoke approach for each organisation

There is an expectation that proposed projects will

• Be actively marketed with practical measures to reach ethnically diverse communities and targeted to groups/individuals who do not engage with services
• Include activities that are relevant to the individual needs, where necessary, provided by other organisations
• Make referrals to and work in tandem with other service providers to provide coordinated support for the service user
• Work with local community groups, making use of local knowledge, networks and trust and engaging volunteer resource and promoting volunteering