Organisational Development Fund

Overview

This fund is to strengthen groups and organisations through making a necessary developmental ‘step change’ needed to become more stable and resilient.

Organisational Development focuses on supporting groups towards sustainability through improving capability and / or capacity.

You can use this funding to create or make changes to your strategy, structure or processes for an entire system, your overall organisation, an area of work or a specific role or job.

Fund priorities

The fund focuses on organisations addressing local need in at least one of the following priority areas:

  • No poverty
  • Good health and wellbeing
  • Reduced inequalities
  • Decent work and economic growth

You must be able to demonstrate how an Organisational Development grant will support your group or charity to become more stable and resilient.

What grants can be used for

The programme has had a positive impact for previously funded groups and those they work with.

  • Some were able to change their finance software saving them time.
  • Others applied for funding for a dedicated fundraiser to support their diversification of income streams.
  • Others trained staff, key volunteers and trustees to improve organisational leadership and others increased their administration hours to review policies, procedures and systems.

 

Examples of what the fund can support are below (this list is not exhaustive):

  • Business planning and development
  • Developing governance and leadership (e.g. charity registration or registration as a form of social enterprise)
  • Developing monitoring and learning
  • Fundraising planning and development (note – we cannot fund commission-based work)
  • Increasing leadership capacity to support collaboration and partnership working
  • Marketing and communications
  • Piloting a project that could create a new revenue stream
  • Purchasing software to support your organisation
  • Staff, key volunteer and trustee training
  • Testing new ways of working

 

We can support a Full Cost Recovery contribution towards core overhead costs (rent/ heating/ lighting etc) as part of your application. We cannot accept applications where core costs are the majority of the requested amount.

The fund will NOT support the following:

  • Project / activity costs – we understand that staff and project delivery are important to organisations but that is not the focus of this fund. By project we mean activities such as lunch clubs, youth sessions, educational classes etc.
  • Capital costs – small capital items can form part of the budget but should not make up more than 20% of the amount applied for. Note – we count these as non-consumable items that would have a life beyond the end of your project (e.g. laptops, tools, furniture etc).

 

Size of grants

You can apply for up to £10,000.

Who can apply?

Organisational Development grants are targeted at small organisations (below £500,000 annual turnover) with charitable aims where a small amount of money can make a significant difference. You can apply if you are based in, or serving the people of:

  • York
  • Rural North and East Yorkshire – you are unlikely to be successful if you are based in urban north and East Yorkshire. (We define rural as work serving places with populations under 15,000 people.)

 

Organisational / Group Eligibility

In order to apply to the Organisational Development Fund your organisation must be:

  • Either a small voluntary organisation, community group, small charity or other type of not-for-profit organisation, provided that the purpose of the grant is wholly charitable (please see our FAQs for additional requirements for CIC’s & CBS’s ).
  • Be based in and / or delivering activities or services in primarily for the benefit of people in rural North and East Yorkshire or York.
  • Have a governing document (also known as a constitution, rules, memorandum, or articles of association) in the name of their organisation which outlines their charitable objectives and includes a charitable dissolution clause with a named body in their asset lock.
  • Have a bank account in your group/ organisation’s name with at least two signatories, who are not related to one another.
  • Have an annual income of under £500,000 per annum.

 

Who and what cannot be funded?

·     Private Businesses or individuals

·     General appeals or sponsorship

·     National organisations and their affiliates

·     Work which has already started or taken place / retrospective funding

·     Work normally funded from statutory sources

·     Work undertaken by or on behalf of statutory bodies as part of their statutory activities

·     Prize money

·     Purchase of gifts

·     Work of a political nature

·     Loans, deposits or on-granting

·     Teacher training

 ·     Work undertaken by / on behalf of schools, colleges or universities as part of their statutory curricular activities

·     Work where the main beneficiaries are animals

·     Work which does not directly benefit people living in the area of benefit

·     Overseas holidays or trips

·     Organisations that mainly give funds to other organisations or individuals

·     Work for the advancement of religion (applications are accepted from religious groups working in the community provided that the main focus of the project is not proselytising)

·     Work normally undertaken by infrastructure organisations

 

How to apply?

These guidelines are available to download as a Word document here.

Follow the link below to apply.

Next, attach your supporting documents to your application. (Or you can email them to the office if there are any issues). Your application is only complete when we have received all your supporting documents.

Finally, if you need any support with your application, please do get in touch.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

  • When your project is complete, you must fill in an End of Grant Monitoring Form. This is available as an online form very similar to the online application form and should your application for funding be successful, the link to your end of grant report will be sent to you when your grant payment is made. After your grant period, you will not be eligible to apply for further grants from this scheme until we have received this form, as it finalises your grant.
  • We aim to undertake monitoring visits on a proportion of funded applications, and we will contact you to arrange a visit if this is required.
  • Successful applicants must ensure that Two Ridings is included in any publicity and our logos will be provided for this purpose.

If you require any assistance with the completion of your application, please contact Two Ridings on 01904 929500. We are happy to help.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Two Ridings is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and ensuring an equity of access to all groups and organisations. We expect groups and organisations applying for grants to show that they are aware of equality, diversity and inclusion and can demonstrate commitment to them.

When to apply?

The Organisational Development Fund is now open.

Application deadline – noon on Monday 11th November 2024.

Decisions will be communicated by 20th December 2024.

Apply here

Areas covered