Preston Volunteering Fund

We've been blown away by the amazing response to the Preston Volunteering Fund!

The amount of projects being planned in the community and their diversity has been incredible to see.

As your requests for funding come to nearly double the total amount in the pot, some adjustments and updates are going to be required. 

The Scheme is now closed

The Volunteer Fund ended on August 2024 and is now closed. Due to the amount of applications we received no further rounds will take place as all of the grant pot will be allocated.

Decisions and next steps

A Panel will review the applications and successful applicants will be notified in October.

This is the first time this kind of grant has been available from the Council and we had no idea how many people would apply. We are heartened that so many of you are looking to support improving volunteering opportunities in Preston.

As a result, we want to support as many groups as we can and it may be necessary for the Panel to ask you if it is possible for you to reduce the amount of funding you are requesting in order that the funding can be allocated to more applicants. If this is the case, we will contact you to discuss this.

Grant Agreements

Once the funding decisions have been made, groups will be contacted about the outcome.

The Council will then enter into Grant agreements with successful applicants. We envisage that the funding should be with you by the end of October (dependant upon us receiving the signed grant agreements back).

The funding must be spent by the Council before the 31 March 2025 but your activities can continue after this date.

We also want to assure you that we are advocating for more funding opportunities to support all the amazing community groups in Preston.

The number of applications and the diversity of your work provides really strong evidence that more funding is needed so more great things can happen here.

Got questions? 

Don't hesitate to contact joseph.cooper@communitycvs.org.uk

Let's keep up the fantastic work of making Preston a better place together!

About Preston Volunteering Fund

Preston City Council, in collaboration with Preston Volunteers, launched a new fund to enable, encourage and reward volunteering across the city of Preston.

The fund aims to support Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to increase their capacity to improve volunteer participation and retention and create new volunteering opportunities in and around the city.

Groups can bid for up to £10,000 for this purpose (there is no minimum amount you can apply for).

The fund is aimed at new and existing small and medium sized community groups, charities and organisations from the local area. 

This grant funding will be used to support Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise groups, Sports Agencies and Educational facilities to support the promotion and increase of volunteering opportunities and activities within Preston.

Grant funding can be used for any of the purposes detailed below:

• Training for volunteers or volunteer managers (accredited or non-accredited)
• New group or team volunteering opportunities
• Tackling barriers to volunteering to enable everyone to access it
• Providing volunteer personal development and support
• Activities and events to recognise and reward volunteers
• Volunteer projects that enhance volunteers' well-being for all through any of the 'Five Ways to Well-being'
• Increasing staff capacity and time to support more volunteers
• Small capital projects* for items of equipment to enable a project or voluntary role(s) to happen (i.e. gardening, sports, arts, equipment, i-tablets, etc.)
• Trips or events for volunteers.

Assessment of Applications

All applications will be assessed by the Panel based upon an eligibility check and whether you have a Bank Account, constitution, rules or articles of association (or similar).

• Application Amount: Up to £10,000

(Please note, there is no minimum amount you can apply for.)

The assessment of the panel is final and any further correspondence or further representation will not be considered. However, feedback on an unsuccessful application will be provided if requested.

Grant Decision

Funds will be allocated and expected to be spent within the funding period of June 2024 - March 2025.

NB. There is a finite amount of grant available for this scheme, and applicants should be aware that even in cases where they meet all the relevant criteria, funding may still be declined because of budgetary constraints.

Award of Grant Funding

Any grant funding approved will be subject a signed Grant Agreement being in place which will have outputs, outcomes, monitoring and reporting requirements specific to each application.

The payment will only be made once the Grant Agreement has have been signed by both parties. We will inform you when and how the monies will be paid to you.

All organisations must indicate acceptance (or not) of such agreements within two weeks of an offer of a grant being paid and must have confirmed this before receipt of the money being taken.

In cases of an underspend, Preston Volunteers will work with you to identify appropriate ways in which remaining monies can be spent in furtherance of the aims of the project.

Potential applicants can ask for help to develop their funding proposal. Please contact the fund support officer at Preston Volunteers, to request this support.

• Email: prestonvolunteers@communitycvs.org,uk
• Call: 07947 934986.

Reporting

Successful groups will be asked to report on the activities funded by the grant. You will be asked to show evidence of the outputs (what you did), outcomes (how did your volunteers and others benefit) and legacy (what happened afterwards) in a format agreed with us and yourselves.

Data Consent

To administer and allocate the Preston Volunteering Fund, we need to share the information you provide with Preston City Council.

By submitting your application to us, you consent to us doing this.

We will also share this information in the event of any safeguarding concern or if ordered to do so by a Court or if requested to do so during an internal or external audit if required.