GrantRadar

Point North (Point North Community Foundation)

Community Grants Programme

Point North's Community Grants Programme gives grants of up to £7,000 to charities, constituted community groups and social enterprises in County Durham and Darlington for projects that sustain health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities. It can fund core costs for organisations spending under about £500,000 a year, salaries, equipment, training, transport and activity costs. It is open all year with no deadline, and Point North aims to decide within eight weeks of a complete application.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £7,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Organisations with charitable aims working in County Durham or Darlington; they do not have to be registered charities
  • Eligible: registered charities and CIOs, constituted community or voluntary groups, and social enterprises (CICs and companies limited by guarantee) registered with the appropriate body
  • Parish and town councils are not eligible
  • Volunteer-led groups, charities and CIOs need a management committee of at least three unrelated members, a bank account in the group's name with at least two unrelated signatories, and charitable aims; groups (including sports clubs) with income over £5,000 must be registered with the Charity Commission or HMRC (as a CASC)
  • Social enterprises and CICs need at least three directors (four if two are related), two unrelated bank signatories, an asset lock, at least 12 months' registration, and more than 50% of income from trading; the project must be charitable and not part of their usual paid trading
  • All applicants need a governing document and a safeguarding policy, plus insurance and permissions where relevant
  • Not eligible: groups with overdue monitoring for previous grants, groups under investigation, groups with restricted membership, or groups that fail due diligence (for example related signatories or trustees)
  • You may hold only one Community Grant a year

What it funds

  • Projects that improve health and wellbeing
  • Reduce poverty and inequality
  • Support people affected by family breakdown or domestic abuse
  • Remove barriers to digital access
  • Give advice and support to people struggling to manage money
  • Improve opportunities for education, training and employment
  • Otherwise address local need in the community

Eligible costs include: a contribution to core or running costs where the organisation typically spends less than £500,000 a year; essential maintenance of equipment or pitches to grow participation; salaries or part-salaries for roles linked to these aims; sessional costs; capital items and equipment, including IT (not vehicles or minibuses); coaching or training; transport costs; capacity building; repair costs; activity costs such as equipment and materials; and food and refreshments used to address poverty and inequality (limited to £1,500).

Vehicle running costs will be considered.

Capital items or works of £250 to £1,000 need one quote, and £1,001 to £50,000 need three quotes.

What it will not fund

  • Unspecified contributions to general fundraising appeals or large projects
  • Contingency funding
  • Building or buying premises or land rights
  • Projects that solely support animal welfare
  • Fundraising activities and events
  • Purchase of vehicles or minibuses
  • Activities that are primarily about proselytisation or supporting worship (faith groups may apply for projects open to the whole community)
  • Deficit or retrospective funding
  • Direct replacement of statutory or public funding
  • Feasibility studies or initial community consultations
  • For-profit or commercial elements of charitable organisations
  • Onward grant-making, except in exceptional circumstances
  • Party political activity and campaigning
  • Profit-making or business ventures, including start-up costs
  • Public bodies carrying out their statutory obligations
  • Sponsored events, multiple trophies or prizes
  • Normally: national or regional charities (unless a financially independent, locally managed branch)
  • Normally: organisations whose free reserves exceed 12 months of running costs
  • Normally: medical research and equipment

How to apply

  1. Read the Community Grants Programme guidelines in full
  2. Register on the online application portal; the link to the application form is emailed to you
  3. Complete every mandatory field of the online application and submit it
  4. Point North assesses the application, including due diligence checks

Applications are accepted at any time; there is no deadline.

For help, email info@pointnorth.org.uk, call the advice line on 0191 378 6340, or book a funding advice surgery.

Have ready

  • Note: No separate documents list is published
  • The portal says applicants must have a governing document and a safeguarding policy, and where relevant landlord's or planning permission, public liability insurance and employer's liability insurance
  • Quotes are needed for capital items (one quote for £250 to £1,000, three for £1,001 to £50,000)

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