The Woodsmith Foundation is currently accepting applications to support a wide range of organisations to deliver projects that will do good things in their communities in the area of benefit (which is the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, the Borough of Scarborough and the North York Moors National Park).
They will award grants to projects that fit the Woodsmith Foundation’s priority of increasing opportunities and tackling disadvantage. They will support projects that:
Increase opportunities for better life chances.
Encourage positive changes by improving lives and places, or tackling issues that negatively impact on local people.
Bring people together and enrich lives by ensuring there are local spaces, resources and activities that provide pleasure, learning, or community action.
Funding Information
Organisations can apply for grants of up to £5,000.
The total grant pot across the 3 grant rounds in 2023 is £200,000.
An organisation may only submit one application in a 12 month period.
Funds must be spent within 12 months of your grant being awarded. If you require more time to spend the funding due to this being a contribution to a capital building project please state this on your application form.
Eligibility Criteria
They can support the following types of organisation:
Local, voluntary groups that are constituted. That means you have a brief, written set of rules explaining how you will run your organisation and are governed by a committee of at least three unrelated members. You will have a bank account (or a relationship with a community organisation that is willing to hold the grant money for you).
Charities or Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) registered with the Charity Commission.
Community Interest Companies (CICs) limited by guarantee and with at least two unrelated bank signatories and three unrelated Directors. To be eligible for funding from the Foundation you will need to be able to provide evidence of trading activity/planned trading activity and a contribution to public benefit.
Parish and Town Councils or Parish Meetings.
Faith organisations who are proposing to deliver activities that do not include the promotion or the practice of religion or particular belief systems. This is because these activities could exclude people from accessing a project on religious grounds.
Schools or school parent led fundraising groups that are constituted voluntary groups.
They may consider companies limited by guarantee with charitable objectives, but would only fund this type of organisation once and following a detailed due diligence.
This grant round is open to organisations that have received grants from the Woodsmith Foundation (or Sirius Minerals Foundation as they were previously called) before and organisations that have not yet received funding from . If there is a high demand for funding they may prioritise organisations who score highly and have not received funding from the Foundation before. They will also seek to ensure a good geographic spread of funding across the area of benefit.
They will only support national organisations when they can clearly demonstrate local need and have local staff on the ground.
Ineligibility Criteria
They cannot support applications from the following types of organisation:
Individuals or private businesses
CICs limited by shares
Local Authorities (that are not a Parish Council, Town Council or Parish Meeting)
Organisations that do not have at least two people on their board or committee who are not related.
Organisations that do not have at least two unrelated bank signatories.
For this grant round they will not fund the following:
Projects that are not in the area of benefit or support people outside the area of benefit. The area of benefit is the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, the Borough of Scarborough and the North York Moors National Park.
A contribution to a large capital project which will cost more than £50,000. For capital projects between £15,000 and £50,000 they would need evidence that you have 75% of the costs already secured.
Capital costs for a building you do not own where the lease is less than 5 years.
A request for just capital costs for a vehicle that will be used by one organisation for their own members.
One off events or contributions to festivals, fund raising days or similar.
School residentials and day trips; activities that take place during the school day; statutory education provision.
Projects where you intend to pass the funding on as grants, sponsorship or donations to other organisations/individuals.
Disproportionate core organisational costs or ongoing running costs or contributions to overheads or management fees.
General appeals or sponsorship or prizes for competitions or raffles.
Heritage or conservation projects with no community benefit.
Repairs to churches or other places of worship where there is no significant secular activity happening or benefit for the wider community beyond the congregation.
Projects which have already started or retrospective funding.
Activities which are funded by another organisation. If, having applied to the Foundation, you find that you have been successful with an alternative bid for the same work, please contact them to discuss your application.
