>> Reading Voluntary Action (RVA)

Funding news April 2007

1. Big Lottery Fund to manage £30m Community Assets Fund
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) will manage a new £30m programme to enable community-led third sector organisations to own and run under-used public buildings.
The new Community Assets Fund (CAF) - set up by the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) in the Cabinet Office - will offer grants for refurbishment of local authority buildings, ensuring they are appropriate for community use and for transfer to third sector ownership or management. The CAF will provide valuable new facilities for communities and respond to the third sector's desire to make best use of local assets.
The OTS will run a 12-week consultation with key stakeholders on details of how the fund will operate. This will take into account the findings of the ongoing independent review into community ownership and management of assets, which will report to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
For further information visit: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/070330_big_lottery_fund.asp

2. Free Microsoft Software from Charity Technology Exchange
Charity Technology Trust's CTX Programme brings donated Microsoft software, and other donated technology products, to qualifying UK Charities via the on-line CTX Shop.
Charities are required to pay a small Administrative Fee, but will still make savings of between 92-96% on typical retail prices. In order to participate in the CTX Programme, organisations are required to meet overall eligibility criteria and those required by individual Donating Partners.
For further information, please visit Website: www.ctxchange.org/getting_started
CTX Programme, Charity Technology Trust, 2nd Floor, Downstream Building, 1 London Bridge, London SE1 9BG Email: customerservice@ctxchange.org. Tel: 020 7785 6415 Fax: 020 7785 3915.


3. Camelot Foundation Transforming Lives
The Transforming Lives programme spends £1.5 million each year to develop new approaches and creative ideas for re-connecting marginalised young people to the mainstream of UK life.
Each round of this programmes focuses upon a different theme.
Their preferred priority groups of young people are: Young parents or those at particular risk of becoming young parents; Young exiles, newly arrived in the UK; Young people with mental health problems; Young disabled people.
They envisage that the Board will make between 3 and 5 substantial grants of between £40,000 and £80,000. Requests outside this range are very unlikely to be considered.
Application Deadline: 11 May 2007 at 5pm.

For further information please contact Camelot Foundation, University House, 11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place, London. SW1W 0EX Tel: 020 7828 6085 Fax: 020 7828 6087 Email: info@camelotfoundation.org.uk Website: www.camelotfoundation.org.uk

4. LankellyChase Foundation Children's Summer Playshemes Small Grants 2007
Each year the Trustees of the LankellyChase Foundation set aside funds for summer play schemes for children between the ages of 5 - 13 yrs. Preference is given to small local play schemes lasting 4 - 6 weeks, and groups planning special activities for youngsters who are disadvantaged or who have a disability. This includes summer activities for children in refuges
A limited number of grants are disbursed in small amounts, between £200 - £500 to organisations. In total approximately 140 grants are made each year. Preference will be given to applications from organisations with an annual income of less than £300,000 per annum.
Deadline for the applications is Friday 11th May 2007.
For further information and to download the application forms please visit their Website: www.lankellychase.org.uk
LankellyChase Foundation, 1 The Court, High Street, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0EY, Tel & Fax: 01235 820044

5. BIG Do it 4 real - England
Do It 4 Real is an exciting weeklong residential summer activities programme for young people in England. £5.5 million has been made available for 2007 to at least 10,000 young people aged between 10 and 17 to benefit from exciting, adventurous, residential experiences that will change their lives for the better.

Do it 4 Real was launched in March 2005 by the Youth Hostels Association (YHA), which will run the programme. The overall aim of Do it 4 Real is to: structure young people's summer holiday time to ensure that they learn through activities and adventures; give them the chance to mix with other young people from a range of different backgrounds; create a memorable experience that broadens experiences and enables young people to improve their life skills.
For more information visit the Do it 4 Real website at www.doit4real.co.uk or contact the YHA Tel: 0870 11 88 018 for an information pack.The closing date is 31 July 2007.
Website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_do_it_4_real?regioncode=-uk&progStatus=open&country=%20UK&status=theProg&chan=funding&title=Do%20It%20For%20Real