The Volunteering Fund
The replacement for the Department of Healths Opportunities for Volunteering scheme, the Volunteering Fund, has been announced.
Four partners are managing the programme, ECOTEC, PrimeTimers, Attend and Community Service Volunteers (CSV). The fund will offer grants to support volunteering in health and social care in England.
The Volunteering Fund has two grant funding schemes:
A local grant scheme - to support volunteering in health and social care. Applicants should be connected at a local level to commissioners (e.g. Primary Care Trust, Local Authority)
A national portfolio scheme- larger grants to enable national organisations to deliver more strategic or developmental volunteering programmes.
The strategic priorities for the fund are:
Better health and well-being for all- helping you to stay healthy and well, empowering you to live independently and tackling health inequalities
Better care for all- the best possible health and social care, offering safe and effective service, when and where you need help and empowering you in your choices
Better value for all- delivering affordable, efficient and sustainable services, contributing to the wider economy and nation.
The Fund will also look at how the projects link with the Department of Health Volunteering Strategy, to encourage good practice in volunteering practice in the areas of:
Leadership
Partnership working
Commissioning
Management
Support for individual volunteers.
Detailed information on these priorities can be downloaded from the website. Local projects can be funded up to £35,000 over three years with national projects receiving around £500,000 over 3 years. Around 55 local projects will be funded in 2010 and again in 2011. Up to 12 national projects will be funded in 2010 and 2011.
Third sector organisations that are planning to run volunteering projects in the health or social care sector can apply for funding.
Partnerships, which can include statutory or private partners, can also apply, although non-third sector partners cannot be grant recipients.
Applications for local projects are expected to open 8th February 2010, with the application process taking 12 weeks. There will be a rolling programme throughout the year, with all regions being covered in each funding year but at different times. Funding rounds will be in the following order during 2010:
North East and North West
East Midlands and Yorkshireand Humberside
South Central, South West and West Midlands
London, South East and East of England.
Information on national portfolio projects will be available in Spring 2010, with expressions of interest being invited in March 2010.
Priorities for the South West aresmoking in pregnancy and tooth decay in children, other priorities include smoking amongst adults as a whole; alcohol related illnesses and conditions; adult obesity and rising obesity amongst children; drug misuse and reducing road injuries and deaths particularly in rural areas.
Contact: Volunteering Fund
Telephone: 0845 172 8058
Email: volunteeringfund@ecotec.com
Website: www.volunteeringfund.com/index.htm
last updated on 1st March 2010