Welcome to the Community Organisation Support Newsletter from Inclusion Barnet for Barnet Together!

As we move past summer solstice, we are gearing up towards the Barnet Together Conference on 30th September in partnership with Barnet Together organisations, who are delivering incredible support to Barnet's VCFSE sector.
We ran a successful fundraising support training early last month as well as welcoming members into our Colindale office to have various 1:1 meetings with the National Lottery as well as ourselves.
We will be running our next member network meeting on 9th July after the upcoming general election. The in-person session will focus on gathering data for addressing  inequalities with a special speaker from the NHS attending. Additionally, member organisations can book a 1:1 slot online or in-person meeting with the COS team by choosing a slot from our bookings page.
In this month’s newsletter, we are promoting various opportunities from across the Barnet Together partnership, including funding opportunities and the chance for members to sign up to a range of events.

(For VCFSEs looking for focused support, funding, news and events for their work with Children, Young People and Families, please contact Young Barnet Foundation, and for those working with volunteers, please contact Volunteering Barnet).

Upcoming Meetings & Events

Our next Member Network Meeting in July

After our last successful session around fundraising support, we will be running our next member network meeting in-person at our IB office on Tuesday 9th July from 3-4.30pm. We will be looking into best practices and ways to gather data for monitoring and evaluation purposes for community organisations. As part of this, we will be covering health inequalities as a case study. 

We will have a special speaker from the NHS, as well as various resources and a presentation to share. It will be an excellent opportunity for networking with other member groups, ourselves as staff as well as with our speaker.

You can register here to reserve a space for you- we have limited tickets available so grab yours quickly!

1:1 member bookings available

Exciting news for our members! We have increased the number of 1-2-1 slots available each week, both in-office and online. These 30-minute sessions are available both in-office at our IB office in Colindale and online via MS Teams. Our one-to-one sessions offer a range of invaluable benefits:

• Fundraising Support: Enhance your funding strategies and boost your financial resources.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Assistance: Improve your project's impact and performance.
• Governance Guidance: Strengthen your organization's leadership and compliance.
• Newsletter: Access to Community Organisation Support Newsletter
  with relevant resources, information, and opportunities.
• Collaboration and partnership opportunities: 
  Opportunities to improve your services by sharing ideas and best
  practice with other members, local partners and like-minded people.

Head to our website to check our entire membership offer: How can we help? - Inclusion Barnet. Don't miss out on these opportunities to advance your initiatives. Head to our bookings page and secure your spot now! Book here: One-to-one (office365.com) 

Please contact our Community Organisation Support team for any queries: 

Team Contacts: 

• Libaharan Ravindran, COS Manager: liba@inclusionbarnet.org.uk
• Namrah Nadeem, Membership Development Officer: namrah@inclusionbarnet.org.uk
• Sukhjeen Kaur, Membership Development Officer: sukhjeen@inclusionbarnet.org.uk

All bookings can be done via the link here.

East Barnet Festival is back this weekend

Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June, 6 to 9pm (Friday) and 12 noon to 9pm (Saturday and Sunday) at Oakhill Park, East Barnet

The East Barnet Festival, North London’s largest free summer festival, is back for 2024.

Highlights of this year's festival include:

• arts, crafts, products and services from local businesses. Sample cuisine from all over the world with everything from curry to burgers to kebabs.

• music, dance and entertainment on the main stage where local artists will perform live music, plus a dance tent and lots of other activities

• Cars in the Park, featuring classic, custom, American, hot rod, supercar and modified cars

• London Carnival Funfairs providing fun for all the family with friendly staff and new rides (opens Thursday evening. Thursday and Friday are wristband days)

Find out everything you need to know about East Barnet Festival

Diwis Creations workshops in July

One of our members, Diwis Creations, is providing free workshops throughout July. "Attention Barnet residents! Are you a post-school leaver or young mum seeking to develop your skills but haven’t been able to afford it? Look no further! Their 5-week Sewing and Craft Workshop is FREE for all participants.

Email diwiscreationsuk@gmail.com to book your spot!

Guided Butterfly Walk in Finchley

The Finchley Pollinator Project is delighted to invite you to a local tour we have organised - a Guided Butterfly ID walk in Long Lane Pasture N3 2RN, on Saturday 6th July, 12-2pm. The exact meeting point will be sent to those who have booked. This will be a lovely experience of enjoying nature, spotting butterflies and learning how to identify them. Butterfly photography tips will also be offered.

Book here.

The talk is led by Malcolm Hull, Chair of the Herts & Middx Branch of Butterfly Conservation, UK's leading butterflies & moths charity. Last year, 19 species of butterfly were observed on Long Lane Pasture, so expect a spectacular spotting experience if the weather is nice and sunny.

ERSA Employability Day 2024

We are excited to announce the upcoming ERSA Employability Day 2024, taking place on Friday 13th September. This event serves as a platform to highlight the incredible efforts and achievements of our partners and skills provider network in empowering individuals and fostering employability. We invite you to join us in showcasing the impactful work you've been doing to support individuals on their journey towards sustainable employment. ERSA Employability Day is an opportunity to celebrate collaboration, innovation, and the positive outcomes that result from our collective efforts. We encourage your active participation and look forward to highlighting the invaluable contributions of our network.

We have included some resources to assist with this and please do let us and ERSA know if you have any special plans for the day. To do this please contact Henry at empday@ersa.org.uk

Inclusion Barnet Community Organisation Support Membership

Become a Community Organisation Support Member Today!

Do you need help finding fundraising opportunities? Do you need support to raise your organisation’s profile? Do you want to attend training sessions, gain advice on business planning, and network with other VCFSE organisations?

Our Community Organisation Support team at Inclusion Barnet, working in partnership as Barnet Together, supports the vital role that voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations play in our vibrant and diverse borough. Whether you need help in identifying the right fundraising opportunities, advice on governance or business planning, or to find new ways to raise your organisation’s profile and reach new audiences, our Community Organisation Support team are here to help your organisation adapt and thrive.

Our Community Organisation Support team is here for you!

Join our FREE membership to access:

• 🌟 one-to-one support sessions

• 🌟 grant / funding advice and support

• 🌟 planning and marketing support

• 🌟 networking opportunities

• 🌟 partnership development

• 🌟 training sessions

• 🌟 monitoring & evaluation tools (Upshot)

• 🌟 advice about setting up an organisation.

Latest Funding Opportunities

We’ve had lots of new members join us recently, so we thought that our dedicated section on grants could cover some well-known grant opportunities, some web pages and resources to watch out for, and some new grants. 

The Society Foundation supports charitable organisations working to help disadvantaged people move towards paid employment, specifically: the recently homeless or vulnerably housed, ex-offenders and young people (16-24 years old) not in employment, education or training (NEET). Funding for capacity building activities, including IT infrastructure and equipment, staff training and development, and external consultancy/support. It typically offers micro-grants up to £2,500 to small or growing organisations with a turnover below £500,000. It has an annual funding round. The 2024 deadline is Midday 8th July.

Co-op Local Community Fund supports projects in Co-op members’ communities that help to create Sustainable Futures for People and our Planet. Applications must be submitted by midnight on 7 July 2024. £6,000 is available in every community and the funding will be shared between three local causes. The amount your project receives will be based on the number of Co-op members that choose your cause. Every cause will receive a minimum of £1,000.

Grants and resources are available for community groups, local sports clubs, and grassroots organisations across England to tackle inequalities and promote physical activity as part of Sport England's Movement Fund . The fund aims to increase sports participation, prioritising projects in high-need areas and those serving groups facing barriers to activity, such as: 

• People on low incomes 

• Disabled individuals or those with long-term health conditions 

• Older adults 

• Culturally diverse communities

The Betty Messenger Charitable Foundation offers grants to non-profits supporting those who fall through society's cracks, with a focus on small charities. Strategic areas include: 

• Capital Projects: Emphasising sustainability. 

• Disease Care: Supporting those with illnesses. 

• Community Care: For disabled and marginalised individuals. 

• End of Life: Hospice and related services. 

• Education: Various educational initiatives. 

• Interfaith Projects: Promoting tolerance and reducing prejudice. 

• Medical Projects: Healthcare-related initiatives. 

• Small Grants: For various needs. 

The Ford Britain Trust offers grants to registered charities, community groups, schools/PTAs, and non-profit organisations. 

Grant Amounts: 

• Large Grants: £250 - £3,000 

• Small Grants: Up to £250 

Focus Areas: 

• Local community 

• Environment 

• Young people/children 

• Education/schools 

• Special educational needs and disabilities 

Application Cycles: 

• Small Grants: April-June, August-October, December-February 

• Large Grants: March-July, September-January 

Applications supported by Ford employees are encouraged. All applicants are informed of the outcome after review. 

Barnet Ukraine Fund

Are you an active member of the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) operating within the London Borough of Barnet? Are you an IB member, or a member of the Young Barnet Foundation? If yes, you can apply for between £200-£2000 to run activities which support the further integration of Ukrainian refugees arriving and living in the Borough. Read more here.

Ongoing grants from last time

The National Lottery Community Fund

An oldie, but a goodie! The National Lottery Community Foundation ‘Awards For All’ funding is a great place to start. They offer grants between £300-£20,000. They also offer another grant called 'Reaching Communities' which starts from £20,001+. If your organisation hasn’t applied to the National Lottery Community Fund for Awards for All funding yet, we recommend trying!

The B&Q Foundation

Are you a registered charity looking for a way to improve or develop a space that benefits your local community? If so, look no further than the B&Q Foundation who offer up to £10,000 for buildings or indoor projects, or up to £5,000 for garden projects. You can read their Grant FAQs here. Their next funding round opens on July 22^nd, and closes 9^th August. 

London Catalyst

London Catalyst - Partners for Health is offering grants to support new projects or service developments aimed at tackling poverty and improving the health and well-being of individuals with limiting health conditions or disabilities. Priority is given to initiatives within Greater London (inside the M25), with an annual grant budget of approximately £300,000. Project grants range from £1,000 to £5,000 and are typically awarded to organisations with an income under £500,000. The application deadline is 31st July.

News & Opportunities

Trust for London launch new strategy

The funder Trust for London have launched a new strategy.

Here's a summary of what they offer. Two aims – economic and social justice.  Economic - Decent work, Tackling the housing crisis, Improving social security and Ending the poverty premium.  Justice - Ending migrant destitution, Racial justice and Disability justice.  Primarily, small and medium-sized London organisations, usually with expenditure under £2m pa, tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality.  Don't need to be a registered charity.  Up to five years and normally grants range from £40,000 to £80,000 pa. Expect to spend around 40%-50% of their funding on advice services Will fund core costs.  You can now apply at any time.

City Bridge Foundation changes to funding

City Bridge Foundation will be closing five of their funding programmes to new applications on Wednesday 3 July 2024.

These changes will not affect current grant holders, who will continue to receive their funding as agreed.

The programmes which they are closing to new applications are:

• Support and services for older people
• Support for children and young people
• Mental health services
• Voice and Leadership
• Increasing the quality and scale of giving. This programme includes Increasing the quality and scale of giving and Place-based giving

This does not mean they will not fund in these areas in the future. That will depend on their new funding policy in 2025. 

South Asian Heritage Month - get involved!

South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) runs from Thursday 18 July until Saturday 17 August. Along with providing learning opportunities for others, the month enables people of South Asian heritage to reclaim their history and identity by sharing their own stories and experiences.

The theme this year is ‘Free to Be Me’ which encourages us to celebrate unique identities and voices. Barnet Council will be working with residents and communities to celebrate SAHM across the borough. To get involved, email community@barnet.gov.uk.

Training & Resources

Expert Impact Mentoring

Have you heard of Expert Impact Mentoring? If you’re a Social Entrepreneur, for example running a CIC or an organisation operating with positive social or environmental aims then Expert Impact runs a ‘Human Lending Library’ – you can apply to be matched up with a mentor here.

If you have any community news to share or want to get in touch with the team, please email: communitysupport@inclusionbarnet.org.uk