The Wesleyan Foundation was established in 2017 to continue to support various good causes throughout the UK.

Fund aims:

“Wesleyan Foundation would like to support organisations and charities that focus on supporting Black/African Caribbean communities following the recent BLM conversations. We are unable to support any projects which focus on campaigning. However we can support projects which focus on health, vulnerable groups, employability. The Wesleyan Foundation grants are only available to community groups or charities in South Yorkshire which benefit residents of Sheffield.”

As this is a new area of focus, the Wesleyan Foundation would like to encourage applications which may not be as well developed for consideration and discussion. At the point of reaching the panel, a detailed risk vs benefits analysis will be undertaken.

Projects must fall into activities which form part of the current aims of the fund.

• Mental Health – all age groups
• Bereavement
• PSE
• Domestic Violence (including women’s refuges)
• Isolation /befriending /listening
• The vulnerable and elderly
• Dementia / quality of life
• Social prescribing – alleviating the pressure from the NHS
• Getting back to work – innovative travel (cycle schemes)  / reducing carbon footprint
• Employment – reskilling people (not so much those that support with CV writing) but those that actively prepare you for a new job / new career etc interview prep etc
• Outdoor projects – making changes so that services can be delivered outside

The delivery of the projects needs to be following Government guidelines in terms of social distancing etc.

Available Funding: 

Grants are available between £2,000 – £10,000 and must be spent within a year.

What we will fund:

– Groups that have been running for at least 2 years.

– Salary, equipment or volunteer costs that are clearly budgeted and only used for the project – evidence will be required.

Please note:

– Grants can be made for a wide range of purposes including consumables, project or activity costs.

– No more than 10% of the project costs can be assigned to operational/core costs.

– Your application value must be no more than 20% of the organisation’s annual income.

– Your organisation’s income level must less than £500,000, as shown in your most recent annual accounts.

Eligibility:

You can apply to this fund if you are one of the following:

– Registered charities
– Constituted Community groups
– Companies Limited by Guarantee with charitable aims
– Community Interest Companies
– Co-operatives – registered Community Benefit Societies and registered Industrial and Provident Societies
– Social Enterprises

 **Funding to Community Interest Companies and other non-charities may include conditions to restrict funding to charitable objectives only.

Please note, we are unable to fund the following:

– Individuals or sole traders
– Arts and media focussed projects
– Sports clubs and societies (unless the project benefits disabled people)
– Contact sports such as boxing
– Capital Builds
– Direct replacement of statutory obligations and public funding
– Promotion of religious or political activities
– Groups with significant financial free reserves
– Organisations or charities which are solely to promote any particular religion
– Organisations who have indicated poor management of any previous grants or who present poor financial health
– Payment of deficit funding or repayment of loans
– Animal welfare, unless the project benefits people (e.g. disabled riding schemes)
– Statutory work in educational institutions
– Pure sponsorship purposes or funding purely for costs of fund-raising events

Additional Supporting Information:

To be eligible to apply you must be able to provide proof of:

Your organisation / company has a management committee / board of trustees / board of directors with at least 3 unrelated people as members, a list of those directors will be required showing who has bank authorisation.

– A written constitution / articles / set of rules.
– A copy of your most recent annual accounts or financial records showing your organisation’s balance of funds, income and reserves
– A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories
– A bank statement from the last 3 months, signed by two bank signatories
– Copies of your safeguarding policy (if you will be working with children or vulnerable adults)
– Equal opportunities policy.
– Quotes for capital items over £300.

Click here to apply >

Please apply by 19^th July for a decision in September 2021.