Small Sparks Plus

Small Sparks Plus

A small grants scheme for the Newcastle VCSE sector to improve health and wellbeing.
The Small Sparks Plus Grants Scheme aims to help charities, community organisations and community interest companies who work with local communities to improve their health and wellbeing. The organisations that are funded will currently be working at a local level to improve health or wellbeing in Newcastle. Moreover, they will be community led and will build on local communities’ strengths, facilities or resources. Projects that are working solely with young people will not be considered. However, we will consider projects that involve young people together with adults.

After consulting with local organisations, Round 2 of Small Sparks Plus will focus on projects working in one or more of the following ways:
1. Projects that build community connections and help bring people together over food, music, cultural experiences and common interests. These should be people who will benefit most from the chance to connect with others e.g. older people, people with physical health issues, people with mental health problems, unpaid careers or people who have been bereaved. Note these are only examples and other groups will be considered based on need.
2. Projects that enable digital accessibility amongst people who have barriers to getting online. However, given the size of the grant, we will prioritise support to help people use equipment over the purchase of IT equipment, and then only when this is part of a support package and other options for provision of equipment have been explored. Also, any applications that include purchase of equipment would need to explain how the equipment will continue to benefit the community beyond the lifetime of the project.
3. Projects that reduce poverty, in particular that promote access to better nutrition and help address food poverty. For example; this may include communal meals, household budgeting, nutritional education, practical cooking skills. However, given the size of the grant, we will not be providing funding to support the normal activities of a food bank.
4. Projects that enable people who otherwise don't have easy access to transport to lead a more active life.
The fund will award grants of between £500 and £3,000, which can be used towards the capital costs and/or revenue costs of projects that improve health and wellbeing through the focus areas listed above. One-off events, as well as longer projects that take place over 6 months will be considered. Projects must be delivered within 6 months of the grant being awarded, and a report must be submitted. Projects that are open to communities must also be added to Information Now.

Charities, constituted community organisations, or community interest companies limited by guarantee can apply to this fund.

Organisations must be currently undertaking work to improve health and wellbeing at a local level in Newcastle. This fund will only support work that takes place in one or more of the four Newcastle Neighbourhood areas: North, East, Inner West, Outer West. A map of the Newcastle Neighbourhood areas can be found by clicking this link.

We expect to give out approximately £48,750 in Round 2 of the fund, which means we will be able to award between 15 and 17 grants.

Organisations who were successful in Small Sparks Plus Round 1 cannot apply for Round 2 of the fund.

The closing date for applications is Monday 15th December at 4pm

Note that submitting this form implies permission to contact you regarding your application using the details you've provided.

Section 1 – Eligibility criteria

Questions 1 to 4 are designed to determine your eligibility for a grant from this fund. You need to be able to answer yes to all of these questions to be eligible for a grant.
Is your organisation a registered charity, CIC or a constituted community organisation?*

YesNo
Does your organisation currently undertake health or wellbeing work at a local community level in Newcastle?*

YesNo
Does your organisation have unrestricted reserves of no more than 12 months expenditure?*

YesNo
Does your organisation have have an annual income of no more than £300,000 (as noted in your last set of annual accounts). If you're part of an umbrella body, we are happy toconsider the annual income for your local project?*

YesNo
How many eligibility criteria have been met

We're sorry but you are not eligible to apply for a Small Sparks Plus grant.

Please contact smallsparksplus@connectedvoice.org.uk for help.

Section 2 - Documents

Please upload in the following supporting documents as part of your application:
- The last set of annual accounts for your organisation. These accounts should be final and signed and, if you're registered, they'll be the ones you send to the Charity Commission or Companies House. If you're not registered, just send us the accounts you normally produce.
- Your organisation’s safeguarding policy or policies.
- Your organisation’s governing document (such as a constitution or a set of rules).
Please upload the last set of annual accounts for your organisation. These accounts should be final and signed and, if you're registered, they'll be the ones you send to the Charity Commission or Companies House. If you're not registered, just send us the accounts you normally produce.*

Cancelof
Please upload your organisation’s safeguarding policy or policies.*

Cancelof
Please upload your organisation's governing document (such as a constitution or a set of rules)*

Cancelof

Section 3 – Organisation Details
Name of organisation*
Put the name of your organisation in this box. This should be the name that your organisation is registered under with bodies like the Charity Commission.
Name of main contact*
Please include the name of the person who can be contacted about the application here.
Email address of main contact *
Please include the email address of the person who can be contacted about the application here.
Phone number of main contact*
Please include the phone number of the person who can be contacted about the application here.
Address - please include the registered postal address of your organisation here. Your organisation needs to be undertaking work in Newcastle to apply to this fund but doesn't need to have a Newcastle address. *

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

Town or cityState / Province

Postcode
Organisational type - please select one of the following types of organisation here. Your organisation needs to be one of these to apply to this fund.*

Registered charityCommunity Interest Company (limited by guarantee)Constituted Community Organisation
Please provide a list of names of everyone on your organisation's management committee*
Charity or CIC number
If your organisation is a charity or a Community Interest Company please include your registration number here. If you are a community organisation leave this section blank.

Section 5 - Financial information

Please use the following section to provide financial information about your organisation.

The last set of annual accounts you provide for your organisation (sometimes called annual accounts) should have been signed off by your trustee board or management committee. They should not be in draft form.
Last financial year end date*

DayMonthYear
Total income for the last financial year*
Please write your organisation’s total income for the last complete financial year.
Total expenditure for the last financial year*
Please write your organisation’s total expenditure for the last complete financial year.
Restricted reserves for the last financial year*
Please write your organisation’s total restricted reserves for the last complete financial year. Restricted reserves are funds that your organisation holds, which must be spent in a particular way.
Unrestricted reserves for the last financial year*
Please write your organisation’s unrestricted reserves for the last financial year. Unrestricted reserves are funds that can be spent on things that advance your organisation’s purpose, in agreement with your management committee or trustee board. To be eligible for this fund you must have unrestricted reserves of no more than 12 months expenditure.
Last financial year- please tell us if there is anything of note regarding your organisation’s most recent financial accounts.
If there is anything you need to highlight in your organisation’s accounts, then please include it here. This could include things like operating surpluses or deficits, or about your reserves. This question is optional. If you don’t have anything to include, please leave this blank.
This financial year- please tell us if there is anything of note regarding your organisation’s finances for the year to date (current financial year).
This question is optional. You can use this space if there is anything in your accounts for the current financial year that you want to highlight. This might include information around any surpluses, deficits or your reserves.

Section 6 - Budget

In this section, please tell us the amount of funding that you are requesting and provide a breakdown of how your organisation would spend this money.
TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING*
Put the total amount of money you are requesting here. The total amount you request must be between £500 and £3,000.
Please provide a breakdown below of how you will spend the grant that your organisation receives. Please also explain what these costs are for.

The amounts you list below should add up to the amount in "Total amount of funding" above.
CAPITAL COSTS
Capital costs item 1 description - please explain how the money will be spent below (e.g. refurbish toilets)
Capital costs item 1 amount
Please enter amount of capital costs above
Capital costs item 2 description - please explain how the money will be spent below (e.g. office equipment)
Capital costs item 2 amount
Please enter amount of capital costs above
Capital costs item 3 description - please explain how the money will be spent below (e.g. garden equipment)
Capital costs item 3 amount
Please enter amount of capital costs above
Other capital costs - please explain what these are below.
Other capital costs amount
Please enter amount of capital costs above
SUBTOTAL CAPITAL COSTS
REVENUE COSTS
Salary costs description
Please tell us which job roles will be staffing your project
Salary costs amount
Please enter amount of salary costs above
Volunteer costs description
Please tell us briefly how many volunteers will be involved and what they will be doing
Volunteer costs amount
Please enter amount of volunteer costs above
Project materials or equipment costs description
Please tell us briefly what materials or equipment you'll be buying
Project materials or equipment costs amount
Please enter amount of materials or equipment costs above
Transport costs description
Please tell us briefly what transport costs you'll pay as part of the project
Transport costs amount
Please enter amount of transport costs above
Room hire costs description
Please tell us briefly what room hire costs you'll pay as part of the project
Room hire costs amount
Please enter amount of room hire costs above
Event costs description
Please tell us briefly what events you'll run and what the costs are.
Event costs amount
Please enter amount of event costs above
Other revenue costs description
Please tell us briefly what these other costs are for.
Other revenue costs amount
Please enter amount of other revenue costs above
SUBTOTAL REVENUE COSTS
Checksum
The sum of "SUBTOTAL CAPITAL COSTS" AND "SUBTOTAL REVENUE COSTS" does not add up to "TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING" at the top of this section. Please go back and chack your figures.
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Small Sparks Plus

Section 1 – Eligibility criteria

We're sorry but you are not eligible to apply for a Small Sparks Plus grant.

Section 2 - Documents

Section 3 – Organisation Details

Section 4 - About your organisation

Section 5 - Financial information

Section 6 - Budget

CAPITAL COSTS

REVENUE COSTS

The sum of "SUBTOTAL CAPITAL COSTS" AND "SUBTOTAL REVENUE COSTS" does not add up to "TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING" at the top of this section. Please go back and chack your figures.

Form ends