cedric's blog

One of 55 foundations who provide funds from endowments (made by the government, individuals and companies) to local groups that will make a genuine local difference. The foundations have a total of £140 million to give away.
Grants average £3,000, but can be much smaller or much larger. The Foundation will support all groups in the county, not necessarily registered charities. Grants will not be given to individuals.

The Hampshire Foundation presently has three funds running -

• Sports Relief with £60,000 to be given away.

• BAT (British American Tobacco are leaving a legacy as the Southampton factory closes down). This will have £750,000 to give away. The focus of this fund will be getting people back into work and helping them overcome barriers to doing so - e.g. needing training or lack of transport.

This from Young People Now

Having formerly served as minister for children and young people, John Denham is familiar with the issues that young people face today.

But even he was surprised at some of the outcomes of a report by the Home Affairs Select Committee, which he chairs, into the over-representation of black young people and the criminal justice system.

After a year of evidence-gathering and research, the committee discovered that social exclusion was the key factor in why young black people are over-represented.

"The committee set out to look at what lay behind the clear statistics that show an over-representation of black people at any stage of the criminal justice system," says Denham. "We wanted to try to understand and see what might be done about it.

The Philip Lawrence Awards 2007 were launched on 6 June 2007.
To make a nomination,  download the nomination form here.

The Philip Lawrence Awards reward outstanding achievements in good citizenship by young people aged 11 to 20.

The national scheme recognises groups that are making a real contribution to their local community and the lives of others; and groups that promote respect and understanding of faiths, culture and communities internationally. The focus is on exemplary activities - examples of young people working together, promoting citizenship and overcoming the difficult situations some young people face.

Government funding changes from grants to contracts - The seventh edition of the 'UK Voluntary Sector Almanac', a comprehensive guide from NCVO to the financial state of the sector, has been published. [Voluntary Sector news]

This organisation sounds as if it has its heart in the right place.It's very disappointing to discover that it's just another scam  - we've had a few emails from them. Beware see http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2042981.html

Just when we thought grants were going out of fashion in favour of commissioning and SLA's it seems that each County Councillor is going to be able to award grants of £10k pa in their patch.

Extra money is always welcome, but it's maybe interesting that the primary purpose of the new scheme is to " to enhance the role of all members, particularly frontline members, in their local communities, by providing them with a budget to make grants for initiatives in their Division which will benefit the community. "

See the attached information flyer for a series of workshops taking place over the next 12 months provided by Participation Works, a national consortium of participation organisations. These workshops are designed to provide information and a tool organisations can use to map and plan the active involvement of children and young people. Places are primarily for colleagues working in organisations in the Third Sector, and are free for them.

It is the long term aim of Participation Works to facilitate and enable Third Sector organisations to be involved in Children's Trusts. The workshops and follow up support through the Local Learning Networks will attempt to develop a common approach to participation and so encourage links.

The Government has unveiled plans for what it describes as a "once in a generation" chance to improve services for young people.
Investment in youth facilities would be a legally defined priority for a several hundred million pound fund drawn from dormant bank accounts.

The consultation document, Unclaimed assets distribution mechanism, states that services for young people should be the main focus of these resources in England. The money would be invested in places to go.

Ed Miliband, minister for the third sector at the Cabinet Office, said the investment would tie in with the Government's 10-year strategy for youth services, expected later this year.

The Office of the Children's Commissioner for England, Al Aynsley-Green, will explore the case for increased funding, powers and independence, as part of a five-year strategy launched today.

The plan says that Aynsley-Green's office - now officially rebranded as 11 Million, to reflect the number of children in England - had set itself challenging long-term goals "that may not be possible within our current budget".