The pandemic has been incredibly challenging for many people across the UK including the charity and volunteer sector, as such I am pleased to have been able to help facilitate additional grants and funding for many in this sector.
Many local charities and community groups have come to me and I have worked hard to help them to secure alternative funding streams that perhaps they had not previously considered. Over the last quarter alone my office has managed to secure funding for some local groups from places such as the Postcode Lottery, the National Lottery, Wales & West Utilities, the Moondance Foundation, and the Village Bakery Fund from right here in Wrexham. A good example is the Holt Gardens Project, which benefited from a £1986 grant from the Postcode Lottery that my team and I helped to facilitate. From subsequent conversations with the organisations, charities, or groups that my team and I have helped I know that these funding streams have been a lifeline.
As such, my team and I will be regularly updating this page with a select of grant and funding opportunities that might be of use.
Please also get in contact with me on sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk if you would like more information about any of the below, if you have any questions or if you have a specific situation that you think I may be able to assist with.
Funding and grant opportunities:
New Round of Smart Grants for Disruptive R&D
- The Innovate UK (IUK) Smart Grants provide an opportunity for businesses and research and technology organisations to apply for a grants to deliver ambitious or disruptive R&D innovations with significant potential for impact on the UK economy.
- The competition provides funding for innovation research and development (R&D) from feasibility (including market research), through to experimental development stages up to (but not including) commercialisation.
- IUK has allocated up to £25 million to fund a number of innovation projects in this competition. For projects with a duration of between 6 and 18 months, the total eligible project costs will be between £100,000 and £500,000 and can be single or collaborative. For those with a duration between 19 and 36 months, the total eligible project costs will be between £100,000 and £2 million and must be collaborative.
- All proposals must be business focused, rather than pure research. Applications can come from any area of technology including arts, design & media, creative industries, science or engineering and be applied to any part of the economy.
- To lead a project, the applicant must be a UK-based business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO). The project must be carried out in the UK. If collaborating with others, the application must include an SME. To work alone, the applicant must be an SME. Proposals from innovation-based businesses with significant ambition and potential for growth or scale-up are welcomed. Collaborators can be UK based businesses, academic organisations, charities, public sector organisations or RTOs.
- The competition opens on 7 October 2021 and closes on 5 January 2022 (11:00 GMT).
NATEP: Helping SMEs Innovate in Aerospace
- The National Aerospace Technology Programme (NATEP) is a technology development initiative funded by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI). Innovate UK (IUK) is running this NATEP competition to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop their own innovative aerospace technologies. These technologies should enhance the applicant's capabilities and increase their ability to win new business within the civil aerospace sector.
- IUK has allocated up to £2.5 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. A project's total eligible costs must be between £150,000 and £300,000. IUK will fund industrial research projects that have a credible route to market and preferably have identified end users.
- Applications must be collaborative and led by a UK registered SME. The business should collaborate with other UK registered businesses, research organisations, public sector organisations or charities. IUK primarily expects to fund businesses that are new to research and development (R&D) or are restarting R&D activity.
- This competition is the fourth of six rounds.
- The competition opens on 15 November 2021 and closes on 12 January 2022 (11:00 GMT).
Phase One of New Industrial Fuel Switching Competition Now Open
- The new Industrial Fuel Switching Competition will support innovation in the development of pre-commercial fuel switch and fuel switch enabling technology for the industrial sector, to help industry switch from high to lower carbon fuels.
- A total of £55 million will be competitively awarded to projects that can help develop a wide range of industrial fuel switching solutions. Funding will be awarded through SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) contracts, providing 100% funding for pre-commercial solutions, via a two-phase process – feasibility and demonstration.
- Phase 1 is now open, awarding funding for feasibility studies into fuel switch and fuel switch enabling solutions. Between £50,000 and £300,000 will be provided per project.
- Phase 2, which opens in late 2022, will award funding for projects to demonstrate fuel switch and fuel switch enabling solutions. Between £1 million and £6 million will be provided per project.
- Opportunity will be provided to enter Phase 2 demonstration only, if a Phase 1 feasibility study is not required.
- Companies of any size are eligible to apply as long as they have the necessary skills and capacity to effectively lead the proposed project.
- Applicants must register in order to be able to apply to the competition. The deadline for Phase 1 registrations is 22 November 2021 (14:00 GMT).
IUK Circular Economy for SMEs - Innovating with the NICER Programme
- Through this Innovate UK (IUK) competition, businesses and their partners can access funding to support feasibility studies, industrial research and experimental development projects that address the challenges of transitioning to a circular economy.
- Applications will be accepted from UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) businesses. Businesses may work alone or in partnership with other businesses of any size, academic institutions, research and technology organisations (RTOs), public sector organisations or not-for-profit organisations. Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone.
- Collaborative applications must either include at least one of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres as a project partner, or include a letter of support from one of the centres.
- All project work must be carried out in the UK.
- IUK has allocated up to £1 million to fund innovation projects in this competition. Each project's total eligible costs must be between £50,000 and £100,000.
- The deadline for applications is 8 December 2021 (11:00 GMT).
Flexible Skills Programme for Wales' Tourism and Hospitality Sector
- Through the Flexible Skills Programme, the Welsh Government is awarding funding to support employees of Wales-based tourism and hospitality businesses. The money will enable staff to attend training courses that are relevant to their sector. This can include face-to-face, or online training.
- The training areas that can be supported under this programme include:
- COVID-19 related activities, including health and safety training.
- Specialist training, eg professional cookery, food and beverage, housekeeping, outdoor instructor/high ropes.
- Leadership and management.
- Customer service.
- ICT and digital skills.
- Sustainable tourism.
- All approved training courses will attract a 50% contribution from the Welsh Government, capped at £25,000, towards the total eligible costs.
- Businesses must be based in Wales, solvent and must commit to release staff to undertake the requested training by the end of March 2022.
- There is no set deadline to apply.
2022 Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize
- The Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize is an annual competitive award provided in partnership by the Dylan Thomas Centre and Swansea University to recognise and reward literary talent in young authors.
- The prize will be awarded to the single author who has written the best literary Work - a commercially published original volume of English language poetry, collection of short fictional stories, fictional novel or novella, radio script or screenplay.
- The main prize for the winner is £20,000. Each shortlisted entrant will receive a Runners-up Award of £500.
- All authors of any nationality who are aged between 18 and 39 will qualify. Entries are to be submitted by International and UK publishers on behalf of eligible authors.
- The closing date for entries to the 2022 Prize is Monday 8 November 2021
Tech Nation Rising Stars 4.0
- Rising Stars 4.0 is a competition for innovative, early-stage tech start-ups, with a prize package designed to take successful businesses to the next level. The programme provides an opportunity to connect start-ups with mentors, investors and influencers, and raise the profile of participant businesses.
- A bespoke package of support has been put together, including:
- The opportunity to showcase the company to investors, accelerators, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and the UK tech community.
- Tech Nation content campaigns and press coverage to raise the profile of the business.
- Pitch training and coaching by Pitch for Success.
- Networking with potential investors at the Rising Stars VC Office Hours.
- Induction into the Tech Nation alumni network.
- The competition culminates in the top 20 companies being showcased and promoted to an audience of investors, corporates, influencers and the wider tech ecosystem. The judging panel will then deliberate over the final 20, selecting 10 companies to be named as this year’s Rising Stars, who will feature in a high-profile celebration event on 24 March 2022.
- Ambitious UK-based digital tech start-ups looking to grow and scale-up their operations may apply. They must have been trading for 1-3 years with a product or service to sell and at least one active client or pilot.
- The deadline for receipt of applications is 20 October 2021.
Funding for UK Social Entrepreneur Development
- UnLtd, a charity that promotes social entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom, is inviting applications to its programme of funding and support for social entrepreneurs to help them nurture their social ventures and grow their impact.
- Applications will be accepted from social entrepreneurs aged 16 and over who are living in the UK. To be eligible for support, the social entrepreneur must:
- Have identified a social issue and developed a business model that works to solve it.
- Be committed to, and have a track record of, delivering local, regional or national social impact at scale.
- Be experienced, ambitious and capable of growing their venture.
- Have a realistic growth plan.
- Be committed to working full-time in their social venture.
- The social venture must:
- Be at least one year old and ideally less than five years old.
- Be dynamic and ready to grow to local, regional or national scale and have a logical and appropriate plan to deliver this.
- Have a compelling performance to date and/or a logical and appropriate plan for rapid growth to reach local, regional or national scale.
- Not solely exist to secure investment in the year ahead.
- Target beneficiaries predominantly based in the UK.
- Grants of £500 to £5,000 are available to support start-up ventures, and grants of up to £15,000 to help established ventures grow and increase their impact.
- The deadline is 2 November 2021.
- See more information at: https://www.unltd.org.uk/.
Carers Trust
- Support, in the form of grants, for approximately 30,000 carers through Carers Trust local partner services so carers can take the break they so desperately need, and at no expense to themselves.
- Applications open from June
- See more information at: https://carers.org/her-royal-highness-the-princess-royal-respite-fund-f…
National Grid #Voicesforagreenfuture
- Competition for school-aged children, which will give young people a chance to take their ideas for a greener future to world leaders at #COP26 and win a £5,000 grant for their school.
- See more information here.
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