Barnet Vaccine Confidence Fund - Opens Today (Thur 10 March)

The Barnet Vaccine Confidence Fund is a Barnet Together Alliance project funded by Barnet Public Health and Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC).

There will be two funding options available to apply for, up to £2,000 and up to £20,000. 

Closing date: Friday 1 April

More information

John Lewis' Community Matters 

Community Matters is the charitable giving scheme that runs throughout John Lewis & Partners shops, similar to their Waitrose scheme.

Every 3 months each shop selects 3 community groups or charities to help. Customers use a token to vote for the organisation they'd like to support. With each shop having £3000 per quarter to donate, which is shared between the charities according to the proportion of the vote they've received from customers.

If you're involved with an organisation that would like to be considered for Community Matters, complete this nomination form & take it to the Customer Services department at your local John Lewis store ie Brent Cross.

Emergency Funding for Storm-Damaged Community Sports Facilities

Organisations with facilities – such as clubhouses, courts and pitches – affected by the recent storms can now apply for grants of up to £15,000 after Sport England have added an emergency storm damage option to their Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund.

The money could be used to repair storm-damaged building and roofs, grass and artificial pitches, decontaminate flooded clubhouses, replace damaged electrical systems or clear blocked drains.

Other items needed may include the hire of skips, pressure hoses or tarpaulins to secure exposed buildings (for use only when safe to do so).

More details and apply now

Preventative Maintenance Micro-Grant Programme for Churches

Sometimes it may be hard to find the money to carry out maintenance work. So If the cost of booking maintenance services is a problem, the National Churches Trust, with its partner the Pilgrim Trust, can offer grants towards the cost of your building's maintenance services.

You could receive up to 50% of the cost of works (excl. VAT) up to a maximum grant of £500. The cost of your service must not exceed £1,000 (excl VAT). Please see National Churches Trust's Foundation Programme for project costs over £1,000.

Once you have submitted a grant application online, you should usually hear within four weeks. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis. 

For more information & to apply

Support for those affected by war in Ukraine

At times like this, it's heartening to see people coming together to help. Your organisation, and those you are supporting may be keen to help those in the Ukraine or in transit in some way. Here are some suggestions, and useful links...

Make a donation via the Disasters Emergency Committee which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities, raising funds to quickly and effectively respond to overseas disasters. 

Donate goods via Goods for Good, they have the infrastructure in place to get the right goods to right places.

London Plus have put together a document on the support being offered to Ukrainians in London.  And here’s a useful blog from the NVCO with an overview of how the VCFSE can help.

Check out our blog for more information, any local updates please let us know

Free Disability Awareness Training

Learn from experts with lived experience. 

Do you want to be a better ally to your disabled colleagues, friends and service users? Are there questions you'd like to ask without worrying that you might say the wrong thing?

Inclusion Barnet offers FREE training to voluntary and community sector organisations. Whether it's an informal Q&A or a deep dive on a particular topic, we can deliver a session tailored to your needs.

Contact: eve@inclusionbarnet.org.uk / 07719 105 107

Community Organisation Training from Clitterhouse Farm & Stonegrove Community Trust

Community organisers reach out and listen to people, then connect and motivate them to build their collective power.

In this course, you will start to explore how people come together so that they can understand and take action on their concerns to build community and overcome social and economic injustice.

Introduction to Community Organising, Monday 28 March, 9.30 - 4.30

Listening in Community Organising, Monday 4 April, 9.30 - 4.30 

For more details & to book

FREE Fundraising Training for Barnet voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector

Each session is independent of the others, but by attending as many as you can you will gain skills and insights into raising money through trusts and foundations, how to diversify your income and make better connections with funders and supporters.

Session 5, on Wednesday 25 March, will be on 'How to improve your relationships with your supporters, donors and funders'. 

For more information and to book

Innovative Approaches to Suicide Prevention

Sadly in 2020 alone, 4912 people died by suicide. Every single life lost is a tragedy and can have a devastating impact on families, friends and communities.

We know that suicide rates reflect wider inequalities and people more likely to be affected include those in debt and living in poverty, people who are homeless and unemployed and those experiencing loneliness and isolation.

Join Rethink Mental Illness for a webinar on Wednesday 30 March 1-2pm to discuss this topic and hear about innovative approaches to suicide prevention. 

For more information and to book

The Power of Small: The Small Charities Coalitions’ Final Event

In December 2021 the trustees of the Small Charities Coalition (SCC) took the difficult decision to close due to funding challenges. Over the past 14 years the SCC has held countless events of all shapes and sizes. They are holding one final get-together for small charities and all those who care about them.
Join them to:

• Celebrate the successes and stories of the Small Charities Coalition
• Share the findings of the SCC's final evaluation report which will lay out a call to action for the future of small charity support
• Signpost small charities to further support after the SCC closes
• Thank small charities and our funders, supporters and friends for their support.

Tuesday 22 March, 10.30 - 12noon

For more information & to book

Sign up to Barnet Together Alliance partners' Newsletters...

• Food Banks/Food Poverty support, email Barnet Food Hub.
• Children, Young People and Families join the Young Barnet Foundation.
• Local Environmental news & initiatives, sign up here.
• For Volunteer recruitment/ management support, sign-up. 
• Barnet Council's Communities Together Network bulletin, email.

Sign up to Barnet’s voluntary sector Manifesto

Barnet Together is calling for community, voluntary, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) 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.

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