GrantRadar

National Deaf Children's Society

Community grants

The National Deaf Children's Society gives community grants of £1,000 to £10,000 for 12-month projects by UK groups that bring together and support deaf children and their families. In the current funding round projects must support deaf children aged 0 to 5 and their families, directly or indirectly (for example through parents, deaf role models or professionals). It is a rolling programme with set assessment dates, and NDCS volunteers can help applicants strengthen their application.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £10,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • UK-based groups or organisations with a UK bank or building society account, a governing document or constitution, annual accounts, appropriate insurance, and risk assessments as standard for all activities
  • Groups working with or in contact with children and/or vulnerable adults must have a safeguarding policy, procedures, training and checks in place
  • Individuals cannot apply unless they have a business or organisation bank account
  • Applications need two contacts aged 18 or over with different email addresses and phone numbers; the senior contact is legally responsible
  • Organisations registered with a charity regulator or Companies House must have up-to-date details matching the application
  • NDCS carries out due diligence (regulator records, online presence, financial position and safeguarding policy) but says it will not look at total reserves or turnover

What it funds

12-month projects that kick-start new initiatives and create opportunities for deaf children and their families, covering essential running costs such as venue hire, transport, promotional costs, wages for sessional workers, interpreters and language tutors, and equipment essential to the project (such as play equipment or technology). This round focuses on deaf children aged 0 to 5 and their families: direct projects (e.g. baby or toddler groups, days out for deaf early-years children and families) or indirect ones (e.g. parents and carers learning skills or getting peer support, young people developing as volunteers and deaf role models, professionals receiving deaf awareness resources). Projects must also meet at least one aim:

  • Access to local support
  • Peer support for families
  • Building family confidence and skills
  • Access to deaf mentors and role models
  • Friendships, deaf identity and community for deaf children and young people
  • Developing communication skills through regular language exposure
  • Equipping professionals to support deaf children

Applications must also show NDCS priorities such as understanding community needs, co-designing the project, involving new people and organisations, widening access, accessibility, and identifiable short and long term benefits.

What it will not fund

  • Work that has already taken place
  • Projects based outside the UK
  • Projects used for financial gain or profit
  • Salaries for organisation members
  • Core costs such as rent and utilities
  • Alcohol
  • VAT that can be reclaimed
  • Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) visits
  • Teaching, learning and assessment under the national curriculum
  • Provision of hearing technology or audiological assessments
  • Assessments of language and literacy skills
  • Meeting requirements set out in statutory plans
  • Speech and language therapy for individuals
  • Government-funded training you should receive as part of your job (e.g. deaf awareness training for teachers)
  • Improvements to buildings such as installing sound clouds or lighting
  • Individuals without a business or organisation bank account
  • More than one project per organisation in a 12-month period (the same project is unlikely to be funded twice)

How to apply

  1. Read the guidance, then draft your answers using the downloadable Word copy of the application questions
  2. Prepare your safeguarding policy, a bank statement from the last 3 months and the completed NDCS budget template
  3. Create an account on the NDCS application portal (leave the government tax identification number box blank)
  4. Complete the eligibility quiz
  5. If eligible, complete every section of the application form and upload the supporting documents, then submit
  6. If awarded, sign and return the Letter of Offer before funds are released

You cannot change an application once submitted, and incomplete applications are declined.

Apply well before your start date; processing takes 2 to 3 months and work already done cannot be funded.

Volunteer support with your application is available by emailing communitygrants@ndcs.org.uk; Welsh-language information is available on request.

Have ready

  • Safeguarding policy
  • Bank statement from the last 3 months
  • Completed NDCS budget template

Successful grantees take part in programme evaluation, provide activity data and project costs, and complete an end-of-project report.

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