The Two Ridings Community Foundation is inviting applications for its The Local Fund for the Harrogate District that has been established to provide a sustainable source of funding to which local Harrogate district charitable or community organisations can apply to get funding to support projects & activities that benefit local communities & residents for the long term.

In this current round for 2020/2021, the focus will be on supporting small organisations who have suffered financial hardship due to financial challenges of this most unusual year.

The aim of this program is to support small local voluntary, charitable and social enterprise organisations who -

• have a positive impact on the well-being of people, especially those facing inequality and disadvantage, in the Harrogate District
• who are at risk due to the exceptional financial challenges of this year.

Funding Information

• Grants are available for small organisations based within the Harrogate District. Applicants may apply for up to £5000. Applying organisations must have an income of under £200,000 a year (based on the most recent annual accounts). However priority will be given to charities with a turnover of under £150,000 and those that can clearly demonstrate how a small grant can make a real difference to their viability.
• Groups must be able to show both that they are in hardship, and that any funding awarded would make a difference to the medium- to long-term survival of the group. Applicants should be able to show how they will use the grant to help them become sustainable. This could be part of their long-term plans or a temporary measure in order to apply for larger funds, to allow the group to generate their own income, or to allow the group to recruit more volunteers.
• Funding will be available for core running costs, for example:
  • salaries
  • volunteer recruitment
  • overhead costs (utility bills, rent etc)

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications may be made by any of the following groups:
  • Constituted community and voluntary organisations
  • Registered charities
  • Social enterprises
  • Companies Limited by Guarantee without share capital
  • Community Interest Companies
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisations
  • Applicants must have an income of under £200k based on their most recent annual accounts.
• The following will not be eligible for funding:
  • Digital hardware for personal gain including laptops, ipads etc for end users unless the group can show they are already working on a viable scheme.
  • Groups who were in financial difficulty before the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Financing or spending which has already taken place.
  • Work normally undertaken by or on behalf of statutory bodies, or normally funded from statutory sources.
  • Work where the main beneficiaries are animals.
  • General appeals or fundraising.
  • Organisations based outside the area of benefit, or where the work does not directly benefit people living in the area of benefit.
  • Groups with an income of over £200k based on their most recent annual accounts.

For more information, visit The Local Fund.