Clothworkers' Foundation

Objectives of Fund

The Foundation aims to use its funding to improve the quality of life for people and communities that face disadvantage and marginalisation.

Value Notes

For larger projects (more than £100,000), the foundation generally funds 10% or more of the balance to be raised. For example, if the project cost was £200,000 and £150,000 still had to be raised, the grant award would be at least £15,000. The larger a project, the larger the grant is likely to be.

For smaller projects (with a balance of less than £15,000), the foundation generally funds between 50% and 100% of the balance.

Who Can Apply

UK registered charities, community interest companies, and other registered UK not-for-profit organisations (including special schools) with an annual income under £10 million can apply.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate that the work of their organisation fits within one or more of the Foundation's programme areas and that at least 50% of service users benefiting from the capital project are from one or more of those groups.

Location

United Kingdom

Restrictions

The Foundation does not fund the following:

• Salaries and overheads.
• Training.
• Volunteer expenses.
• Rent.
• Lease of property or equipment.
• Professional fees and project management costs.
• Marketing/literature/leaflets.
• Equipment for one-off use, or which will be given to service users for personal use on a permanent basis.
• One-off events.
• Consumable items such as items with a short shelf life eg clothes, some sports equipment and kits, toys and stationery.
• Organisations which have received a grant offer from the Foundation within the last five years (unless they have been specifically invited to reapply).
• Organisations that promote religious activities or proselytise to service users.
• Organisations which have had an application declined in the last six months (please note: organisations cannot reapply for the same project if it has been declined).
• Organisations with over £10 million income per annum.
• Organisations with over 12 months of reserves.
• Those that primarily provide services to other organisations – sometimes described 'second tier' or 'infrastructure' organisations.
• Hospices and NHS charities.
• Organisations where grant making is a substantial part of their core services.
• Schools colleges or universities (unless their students are exclusively individuals with physical disabilities and/or learning differences eg special schools). PRUs or Alternative Provision providers or special schools which are part of a multi-academy trust with an income of more than £10 million are not eligible for funding.
• Almshouses.
• Applications for a project which the Foundation has previously declined.
• Medical research or medical equipment.
• Setting up/refurbishment of charity shops.
• General appeals and emergency appeals.
• Retrospective projects (ie those that have already been completed).
• Political projects.
• Heritage projects.
• Arts and education projects unless they work exclusively with individuals from the foundation's programme areas.

Eligible Expenditure

This Foundation awards grants in the following areas:

• Substance misuse and addiction – organisations supporting people and families affected by drugs and/or alcohol misuse.
• Disabilities (inc. mental health and visual impairment) – organisations supporting people who have physical and/or learning disabilities, and/or people experiencing mental health issues. The Foundation has a long-standing commitment to visual impairment, so it welcomes applications from organisations focused in this area. Those providing support to the families and carers of those with disabilities can also apply under this programme area.
• Communities experiencing racial inequalities – organisations supporting communities affected by racism, and organisations working to promote racial equity. Organisations may be providing specialist services such as employment support or legal advice primarily to minoritised communities or may provide more general community support. These communities may face discrimination or disadvantage on the grounds of ethnicity or faith.
• Young people facing disadvantage – organisations supporting young people facing disadvantages, particularly (but not limited to) young people in care or leaving care and young people not in employment, education or training. The foundation does not accept applications from pupil referral units, schools or organisations delivering other mainstream educational provision under this programme area.
• Domestic and sexual abuse – organisations supporting adults and children affected by any form of domestic or sexual abuse. This includes victims, survivors and perpetrators of abuse. It includes services helping victims escape abusive relationships, or any part of the recovery cycle. Examples include refuges and women’s organisations. Organisations applying for a capital project linked to supporting perpetrators must have or be working towards Respect accreditation.
• Older people facing disadvantage – organisations providing services for older people facing disadvantage, particularly (but not limited to) economic disadvantage and isolation.
• Homelessness – organisations providing services for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This includes those providing homelessness accommodation, or services such as food banks and furniture recycling.
• Prison and rehabilitation – organisations supporting people in prison and their families, those at risk of offending, and the rehabilitation of those leaving prison.
• LGBT+ communities – organisations providing support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people facing disadvantage or discrimination.
• Economic disadvantage – organisations supporting individuals or communities experiencing poverty and deprivation. This may include urgent support as well as longer-term work to relieve economic disadvantage.

NB At least 50% of an applying organisation's service users benefiting from the capital project must be from one or more of the above groups.

Funding is available for capital costs. This means tangible items or work, including:

• Buildings – purchase, construction, renovation and/or refurbishment.
• Fittings, fixtures, and equipment – this includes but is not limited to office equipment/furniture, sports/gym equipment, digital/audio visual equipment, software and websites, garden equipment, specialist therapeutic (excluding medical) equipment.
• Vehicles – includes (but is not exclusive to) minibuses, cars, caravans, people-carriers, 4x4 and boats. The Foundation is unlikely to fund the total cost of a new vehicle or award funding to an organisation that already owns a large number of vehicles.

The eligibility criteria for applications to the Open Grants Programmes has expanded to include digital projects beyond hardware. The funders will now consider funding one-off costs for some types of digital software and products.

The foundation will consider one-off costs towards:

• Moving paper-based processes online so organisations can make better use of digital technology. This is sometimes described as 'digitising processes' and can include the tech infrastructure and devices needed eg cloud storage and tablets for data collection.
• Support for developing or updating the digital tools used to communicate, such as websites, apps or messaging platforms.
• Adding new digital features to services an organisation already has to make them easier for people to use and access.

Examples of eligible projects (this list is not exhaustive):

• Development of a new or upgrade of an existing website.
• Initial database/CRM set-up costs eg consultancy costs for customisation, initial training and support costs.
• Costs to upgrade or refresh an existing database.
• Database integration/integration across databases and other digital software used.
• Making a service already offered accessible online (for example, via a specialised app or website function).

How To Apply

Applications may be submitted at any time.

Applicants must first complete an online eligibility quiz to get access to an online application form.