Welcome to the Barnet Together (7 October 2021) newsletter featuring news, grants, training opportunities...

Highlighting here 3 important Barnet- specific announcements (more below).
1) The Barnet Community Innovation Fund is now open, with funding of up to £65,000 available for organisations looking to improve the health of Barnet residents. 
2) If you, or anyone you know are looking for a new job then check out the 10 jobs available across the three organisations that comprise Barnet Together. But be quick, some have a closing date of Friday 8 October.
3) Do take part in our State of the Sector Survey.
 
Ellen Cheshire, Voluntary and Community Sector Support Lead ellen@inclusionbarnet.org.uk 

Barnet Community Innovation Fund

Round 2 of the the Barnet Council-led Community Innovation Fund (CIF) opened last Friday, and closes at 5pm on Monday 1 November. 

The website has been updated with the latest funding criteria and the application form. 

This is  joint initiative with local NHS partners and Barnet's volunteer and community sectors represented by Barnet Together. Round 2's funding pot is £320,000 with funding bands of up to £2,000, up to £10,000 and up to £65,000.

The four funding priorities in Round 2 are:

1. Mental Health and Wellbeing support particularly focusing on pandemic related crisis support and interventions
2. Initiatives that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
3. Sustainable Green Spaces for healthy leisure projects
4. Projects supporting Families, Children  and Young people, with a particular focus on family health

Debra Yardley and EIlen Cheshire will be able to support anyone looking to find a partner organisation or be that critical friend to ensure your application is the best it can be. If you have any questions about the fund, please contact Marta Montague, Community Innovation Fund Manager.

Fiserv - Back2Business Grant

Fiserv have launched their #Back2Business grant programme in the UK.  Awarding grants for ethnically diverse-owned small businesses (inc. social enterprises) that have been impacted by Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions.

Designed to strengthen small, ethnically diverse businesses and enable them to thrive in a post-pandemic world, the Back2Business UK programme offers businesses the opportunity to apply for £10,000 grants. In addition to financial support, Fiserv can provide #Back2Business programme participants with expertise and leading technology solutions and connections to community partners.

To be eligible to apply, businesses (including Social Enterprises) must: 

• Be majority owned by a person from a diverse ethnic background. 
• Be located in the UK. 
• Have a revenue of less than £1 million annually. 
• Have been in business prior to January 2020. 
• Have 15 or fewer employees.

Successful grant applicants can use the grant for any purpose they choose, including technology investment, operational costs such as rent and payroll, premise re-design or marketing. 

Deadline: Friday 31 December 2021

Comic Relief Community Fund for England

Funding of up to £10,000 for community-led organisations to deliver change by drawing on the 'lived experiences' of people who have experienced the issues being tackled. These issues should align with one of Comic Relief's four strategic themes:

• Children Survive and Thrive – ensuring every child has the best start in life.
• Fighting for Gender Justice – tackling gender-based violence, inequality and exploitation.
• A Safe Place to Be – supporting those who have been displaced to access secure housing and feel settled in their new homes.
• Mental Health Matters – helping people with poor mental health to access appropriate support.

All applications must include a request for up to £1,000 to support capacity building, this would leave a maximum request of £9,000 for project delivery. Projects must be completed within one year of receiving a grant.

Closing date: Monday 29 November

The Bikeability Trust - Widening Participation Fund

The Widening Participation Fund has been established to identify children who do not currently access Bikeability and address the barriers that they face in accessing training. The fund will support innovative pilot projects that demonstrate how barriers can be overcome and participation increased within underrepresented groups. Particular focus will be given to lower uptake in areas of deprivation, and amongst specific ethnic backgrounds and female teenagers.

The fund is administered by the Trust with funding of over £1 million from the Department for Transport.

The two key objectives of the fund are to:

• Pilot new forms of Bikeability training with a focus on reaching every child.
• Pilot initiatives that remove barriers to access to participating in Bikeability.

Grants up to £75,000 available.

Closing date: Friday 29 October 

10 Jobs currently available across the the three Barnet Together partner organisations

Across the three organisations that work together as Barnet Together - Inclusion Barnet, Young Barnet Foundation and Volunteering Barnet there are currently 10 roles being recruited.

Check out this post with links to job descriptions and person specifications. 

With closing dates from Friday 8 October

Take Part in the Barnet Together State of the Sector Survey

Barnet Together want to understand the experiences and the needs of the VCFS organisations in Barnet after a period of extreme change and as we enter recovery from the pandemic.

By completing this survey, you will help build a picture of the support required to meet the needs of our sector over the next two years and support recovery from the pandemic and enable local groups to establish their sustainability. 

Barnet's Covid-19 Vaccine Drive

The vaccine drive is still paramount to our Covid-19 recovery in Barnet and Volunteering Barnet are seeking more volunteers to take part in new and ongoing Vaccine Support Roles across Barnet.

Join the #Covid19response team as a Vaccine Support Volunteer. Booster jabs are now available and volunteers are needed just as much now than ever!

World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day takes place on 10 October, and for 2021 the focus is “mental health in an unequal world”.

Inequality not only exacerbates the disadvantages inherent in managing a long term condition, it can cause the onset of mental ill health.  Take a read of the staff blog at Inclusion Barnet on this topic and see what events are happening locally and nationally. 

BBC More or Less Podcast

One of my favourite podcasts is BBC's More or Less which looks at the numbers behind the newspaper headlines.

In recent episodes they have explored a number of news stories which will be of interest to those working in the VCFS.

The 3 October episode featured stories on insulation, energy prices, the number of UK trees and migrants arriving via boat.  The 25 September episode featured an investigation into conflicting claims of how many hours someone on Universal Credit would have to work to earn £20. Surprise surprise it's not 2 hours as a Government Minister claimed!

Take a look at October's Barnet Post

Their latest issue features:

An interview with the founders of the innovative co-housing community for women over 50

Arts and Culture, including Jon Kudlick's latest music reviews

Mark Amies discovers the hidden history behind an old postcard of Finchley Bridge on Hendon Lane

Columns by Rory Cooper on mental wellbeing and Wendy Alcock offers advice on composting. Plus Food and Drink columns exploring great places to eat in the borough.

If you'd like to suggest an article idea email barnetpost@socialspider.com

Print copies available from a variety of locations including most Barnet Libraries.

Sign up to Barnet’s voluntary sector Manifesto

Barnet Together is calling for community, voluntary and faith groups as well as statutory organisations and businesses operating in the borough of Barnet, to sign up to the Barnet Voluntary Sector Manifesto.

The aim of the Manifesto is to create better understanding and deeper cross-sector collaboration between organisations working within Barnet. By signing up to the Manifesto, groups and service providers agree to adhere to the values within the document. 

If you are a representative of a group, service provider or business based in or serving Barnet, then you can sign up to the Barnet Voluntary Manifesto.

#WorkingTogether
#StrongerTogether
#BarnetTogether

Communities Together Network 

For more information about local events, national campaigns and updates from Barnet Council, drop Danusia an email and ask to be added to the Communities Together Network bulletin.
Danusia.Brzezicka@Barnet.gov.uk