GrantRadar

Action Together

Rochdale Communities Fund - Seed Fund

Grants of up to £500 from Action Together, funded by Rochdale Borough Council's Adult Social Care team, to help small unconstituted groups in Rochdale Borough (or groups preparing to become social enterprises such as CICs) turn an idea or project into a sustainable organisation. There is no application form: the group meets a local Community Development Worker, who completes and submits the application on its behalf. Each group can get one Seed Fund grant, after which it is supported to constitute and apply for the Micro Grants (up to £1,000). The fund runs as a quarterly rolling programme that pauses when each quarter's money is used up.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £500
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Unconstituted micro-organisations, social action groups and community groups locally rooted or actively working in the borough of Rochdale
  • Groups must be a member of Action Together CIO, be working towards becoming a formally constituted group or social enterprise and be receiving support from an Action Together Community Development Worker, have at least three individuals actively involved in supporting the idea or project, and not have received a Seed Fund grant before (one grant per group)

What it funds

Equipment, project resources and running costs, and volunteer expenses, for projects that meet one or more priorities:

  1. Challenging poverty and driving equality — practical support, advice or peer support, reducing inequalities and helping people reach their potential, and strengthening community voice and action
  2. Promoting health and wellbeing — supporting social, mental and physical wellbeing, challenging health inequalities by working with marginalised groups whose needs are not met by existing services, and building strong relationships in and across communities

The aim is to help small groups take the next step towards becoming established and sustainable.

What it will not fund

  • Items or expenditure bought or incurred before the funding decision is communicated (no reimbursement of prior purchases)
  • Groups that have already received a Seed Fund grant
  • Groups not based in or actively working in Rochdale Borough

How to apply

  1. Check you meet the eligibility criteria and the fund priorities, and become a member of Action Together CIO
  2. Contact the Community Development Worker for your area (Rochdale North: Julie.Durrant@actiontogether.org.uk; Rochdale South: Safina.khan@actiontogether.org.uk; Pennines: Vicky.lomax@actiontogether.org.uk; Middleton: Asma.begum@actiontogether.org.uk; Heywood: Joanna.henderson@actiontogether.org.uk)
  3. Meet the Community Development Worker to discuss your idea and answer some basic questions about the project
  4. The Community Development Worker completes and submits the application on your behalf
  5. Action Together decides, assessing whether the group is Compliant (setting up or prepared to), Competent (has a relationship with its worker and the skills to deliver) and Comprehensive (a need and a plan for the money); the decision is emailed
  6. At the end of the project, complete a monitoring form (story of the project, numbers benefiting, future plans, photos or other materials)

Do not buy anything included in the application before the funding decision; prior purchases cannot be reimbursed.

The fund pauses each quarter once that quarter's money has been awarded and reopens the next quarter.

General enquiries to Laura Augustine on 0161 339 2345 or rochdalecommunitiesfund@actiontogether.org.uk.

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