The Solidarity Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund
Award
£1m – £5m
Deadline
Rolling — apply any time
Where
England
Summary
Funding for organisations in England who prioritise community agency and do work that tackles the root causes of poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
Who can apply
What types of organisation can apply You can apply if your organisation works with communities and is a: • constituted voluntary or community organisation • registered charity • charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) • not-for-profit company limited by guarantee • community interest company (CIC) • community benefit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority • co-operative society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority • university registered as a charity or company • union registered as a charity or company If applying as a partnership You can also apply as a partnership, but only if you’ve worked together before on projects that support communities to lead change and address the root causes of inequality. All organisations in the partnership who will receive funding must meet the eligibility criteria. You can contact us if you’re unsure about whether your partnership is eligible. As the lead organisation, you must make sure the project and partners meet our terms and conditions. Board or committee member requirements To apply, your organisation must have at least 2 board or committee members who are not related. If you're a company, you must have at least 2 directors who are not related. We consider people to be related if they are: • married or in a civil partnership • in a long-term relationship or live together • related by blood or through a partner What kind of experience we’re looking for To make the biggest impact, we recognise that other kinds of experiences are equally important as lived experience. This includes: • learned experience, such as academic study or research • professional experience, from working on an issue over time We’ll ask how your organisation brings together different kinds of experience in your work. We fund organisations of different sizes There’s no minimum size or income to apply. But you should be able to show that your organisation can manage large, long-term funding. Building on what you already do We’re especially interested in work that builds on what you already do or have learned, and that shows potential for long-term change. We’re unlikely to fund projects that are completely new or unrelated to your existing work.
Full details
• Project location: England • Amount: £1,000,000 to £5,000,000 • A decision in: 39 weeks • Programme status: Open to applications This funding is for organisations in England who prioritise community agency and do work that tackles the root causes of poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. We’re looking for organisations who are working to connect different communities around issues affecting them, so people can act together in solidarity and build long-term solutions. What we’ll fund Your application must strongly meet all 5 criteria, by showing us how you will: Build power Your work will challenge the systems that create inequality through organising, building strong communities, and developing leadership that can influence the decisions affecting their lives. Make systems change Your work must aim to change the systems that drive poverty, disadvantage and discrimination, challenging who holds power, and influencing how decisions are made. Work in solidarity Bring people together across different issues and communities, so they can act on shared challenges. Be led by lived experience Your work must be led by, and accountable to, people with direct experience of the issues you want to change. Create and share learning Share learning from people who experience inequality, so they can be heard, influence change and strengthen collective action.