Support for voluntary and community sector funding

Find out what help and support is available for your organisation.

• Funding
• Advice
• Resources
• Training

Funding and financial support

Sourcing funding is key for many voluntary and community sector organisations to maintain the projects and services they offer.

Council offered funding

• The Civic Pride Fund offers funding for projects in Richmond upon Thames which benefit local people and those who work in the borough
• The Community Fund allocates funds collected from the Community Infrastructure Levy to spend on local priorities which address the 'demand that development places on an area'
• Become a service provider through our commissioning and procurement processes
• The Active Richmond Fund offers funding for projects which promote an active lifestyle for adults in Richmond upon Thames, improving health and wellbeing
• The Cost of Living Grant Fund is intended to support voluntary sector organisations in their work to help residents through the cost of living crisis

External funding

We have commissioned Richmond CVS as a support and advice service to help organisations identify and apply for funding. They have a list of local funders and can also provide one to one support with fundraising.

Below is a list of other local funding opportunities:

• The Barnes Fund supports voluntary organisations located in the “Ancient Parish of Barnes", which broadly corresponds with the present postal area of London SW13
• The Hampton Fund supports voluntary sector organisations to provide services and activities for people in need. Their area of benefit covers the following areas within Richmond upon Thames: Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick, Teddington, Twickenham and Whitton
• Richmond Parish Lands Charity provides funding to charities with a proven track record of serving local community needs
• Richmond Civic Trust supports organisations who aim to improve the environment, facilities and/or physical character of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for the benefit of the local community
• London Community Foundation lists an overview of grants available in Richmond
• Get Lucky Local Lottery supports good causes in Richmond Borough by generating funding through the sale of lottery tickets. Local causes can sign up for free to get their own lottery page
• Sports England provides funding for sport related projects
• The Funding and Grants resource (MS Word, 231 KB) contains information on small grants available to voluntary and community sector organisations
• Charity Excellence Framework provide a free funding finder database with access to a large range of funders to search

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a way of raising money by asking a large number of people each for a small amount of money via an online platform. Examples of crowdfunding websites include:

• Habitats & Heritage is a dedicated crowdfunding site for environmental and green space projects in South West London
• Crowdfunder offers a wide focus for projects
• Spacehive offers a wide focus for projects
• Kickstarter offers a wide focus for projects

Leasing property to the voluntary sector

We lease a range of properties and sports facilities to over 40 different voluntary organisations. These range from day centres for older people, community buildings, to sports facilities for our exciting range of sports clubs operating in the borough.

Some organisations may be allowed a subsidy on their rent. Find out more about voluntary sector property in the borough.

Sources of advice

• The Richmond CVS: Community Connections Richmond service has been commissioned by the Council to offer a skills development and advice service for voluntary organisations
• Richmond CVS also offer specialist strategic support for organisations working with children and families
• Habitats & Heritage provides specialist strategic support to the environmental voluntary sector
• Project Toolkit (pdf, 5.0 MB) – a resource developed with Richmond CVS to help guide individuals and local groups through the steps involved in creating a community project and enable them to reach the point where they are able to apply for local funding opportunities.
• NCVO champions the voluntary sector by connecting, representing and supporting voluntary organisations and provides expert support and advice
• NAVCA are a national membership charity for local voluntary sector infrastructure, providing a national voice on local social action

Resources and data

There are numerous sources of data which can be used to support your organisation or application for funding.

• Community Engagement is a project which helps support the community by sharing information between local people, the Council and other community organisations
• DataRich is a one stop shop for statistics and analysis for the borough and provides information under a range of themes
• The Local Plan (previously known as Local Development Framework) sets out the priorities for the development of the borough and is used for making decisions on planning applications
• The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) pulls together information about local health and care and support, and is a vital tool to help plan future services
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK's largest independent producer of official statistics and the recognised national statistical institute of the UK

Fundraising best practice

• The Chartered Institute of Fundraising provide guidance on all types of fundraising activity

General guidance

• The Resource Centre provides information and templates on a variety of areas affecting community groups
• The Cabinet Office has produced a short guide with information about how to organise a voluntary event. This includes what to think about when planning an event and any permission or insurance needed

Governance

• The Charity Commission provides information for registered charities and how to register your organisation as a charity
• The Institute for Volunteering Research (NCVO) has an evidence bank, which is a searchable database of research, reports, bulletins, publications and journal articles on a variety of topics

Health and safety

• Health and Safety Executive has guidance on how to manage risks in your organisation
• The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) provides information for practitioners for use in their settings to prevent childhood accidents

Support for employers and employees

• Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) provides free and impartial information and advice to employers and employees on all aspects of employment relations

Safeguarding

• The NSPCC has produced a guide for organisations to safeguard children, called 'Firstcheck'
• There is further information on local and national processes and procedures for safeguarding children at the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership. There is also information on Safeguarding adults
• Information in respect of criminal records bureau clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service

Training 

A range of training is available for organisations, including:

• Free Child Protection and Safeguarding Training is available from the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Free online Safeguarding Training is available for staff, carers and volunteers working with vulnerable adults who are living and or working in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
• AfC CPD Online offers a range of training to support work with children and young people across the spectrum of education, health and social care and criminal justice sectors
• Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training is about capitalising on the thousands of conversations that happen in the borough each day, to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population. It recognises that frontline workers are in a unique position to help our residents who may not otherwise engage with services or may be unaware of what assistance is available
• Adult social care - these free online adult social care courses are for staff, carers and volunteers who are living and or working in the borough