The Alan Edward Higgs Charity

Alan Edward Higgs Charity grants

Grants from a Coventry foundation for charities and community organisations that improve the lives of deprived children, young people and families in Coventry and the surrounding area. Priorities include early years, family support (including debt counselling and refuge), holidays, access to opportunity and experience, young carers, and looked-after children and care leavers. There is no published minimum or maximum, but requests over £20,000 must be discussed with the Clerk first. Requests of £1,000 or less go to the charity's separate Alan Higgs Community Grants scheme, run by the Heart of England Community Foundation.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Amount not specified; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Charities, formally constituted community organisations, CASCs and CICs whose work improves the lives of deprived families, children and young people in Coventry and the surrounding area
The priority is organisations delivering services within the Priority Area (roughly postcodes CV1-CV6 and CV8-CV12)
Being based or working in the area is not enough: the purpose of the grant must be to improve the lives of deprived families, children and young people, and you must give clear evidence that the beneficiaries are experiencing deprivation
National or wider organisations must guarantee that 100% of the grant is spent in the Priority Area
Individuals, statutory bodies, nurseries, schools, colleges, hospitals and health authorities cannot apply
Organisations that promote religious belief in any part of their work are also excluded
After a successful application you cannot apply again for one calendar year

What it funds

Projects that improve the lives of deprived families, children and young people. The Trustees are particularly keen to support:

Early years/early start (social and developmental support)
Family support and protection, including debt counselling and refuge
Holidays
Access to opportunity and experience
Young carers
Looked-after children and those coming out of care

Past grants have covered refurbishment and re-equipping, some start-up salary costs and some core costs.

Overheads or core costs can be part of a request, but not the whole of it.

Grants go mainly to work in the Priority Area (roughly postcodes CV1 to CV6 and CV8 to CV12).

Organisations working more widely must guarantee that 100% of the grant is spent in the Priority Area.

Work outside the Priority Area may be considered after discussion with the Clerk.

What it will not fund

Applications from individuals
Statutory bodies and anything deemed to be the responsibility of the state
Nurseries, schools and colleges
Hospitals and health authorities
Academic research, scholarships or bursaries
Any organisation or project that, in whole or in part, promotes religious belief or behaviour in any form
Work outside the beneficial area
Endowment appeals
Restoration and conservation of buildings, unless being repurposed for community use
Retrospective funding (work that has already taken place)
Round robin or widely circulated appeals
Core costs as a stand-alone ask
Applications asking for 100% funding - you must show support from other sources
Single applications requesting funding for multiple years (a fresh application is needed each year)
Projects solely or mainly for the benefit of adults

How to apply

Read the FAQs to check you are eligible and the work is in the Priority Area
If your request is over £20,000, you must have a detailed conversation with the Clerk (clerk@higgscharity.org.uk) before applying. Requests over £20,000 that have not done this are rejected
If your request is £1,000 or less, apply to the Alan Higgs Community Grants scheme through the Heart of England Community Foundation instead
Draft your answers (e.g. in Word) before starting the online form
Complete the online application form (Formstack), which has sections for summary, organisation, purpose of the grant, financial information, classification, previous funding and attachments
Upload your attachments and submit. You will get an automated email confirming receipt
If funded, accept the terms and conditions (signed off by your Chair or Treasurer), send progress reports, and send a final report within fourteen months of the final grant payment

Outside the Priority Area, discuss your application with the Clerk first. The charity will not discuss unsuccessful or rejected applications.

Have ready

Published financial accounts for the last two years
Budget in Excel or as a Word table showing what the grant would pay for
Safeguarding policy
Evaluation of any previous project the charity funded (if not already submitted)

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