In February 2023, Locality UK was commissioned by Nottingham City Council to undertake research on their behalf, to explore new models and priorities for the City Council's grant programme for the voluntary and community sector.

Locality is undertaking a co-production process with the sector to design a new grant programme and redefine priorities based on a ‘year zero’ approach. This means:

If Nottingham City Council was just starting to invest in grants from scratch, what would it look like and what would it fund?

Locality is leading the research, but it is taking place in partnership with NCVS so that we reach as many local groups and organisations as possible, to hear your views.

It will include an online survey, stakeholder interviews, and workshop events across the city, details of which will be announced soon. Please look out for further information from NCVS and Locality, and be prepared to get involved.

The aim is to ensure that grants are responsive to the current context of the cost of living crisis and pressures on social care for 2023/24, and that time and creativity for a future model from 2024/25 can be developed. National and local thinking about how people can be better supported in the community, how to support a sustainable VCSE sector in the city, and building the important relationship of the sector within current approaches to tackle health inequalities through prevention and early intervention are all key elements to a future model.

If you would like to find out more, or offer your experience of local grants programmes through an in-depth interview, please email Jules Sebelin, NCVS Chief Executive Officer in the first instance: juless@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.

A Small Charities Advisory Panel has formed, following the announcement that the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) is due to close. The creation of the panel had already been planned when the Small Charities Coalition (SCC) closed last year and activities were transferred to a partnership between the FSI and NCVO.

The panel will have the responsibility of holding NCVO and any future partners to account for continuing the legacies of both the FSI and the SCC.

The panel is made up of 14 members, with representation from six small charities, two funders and six infrastructure organisations, including one with a focus on volunteering. Read more about the panel in this Civil Society news article.

The FSI is also seeking views on a “long-term solution” to ensure the future needs of small charities can be met after it closes this year. If you would like to join in these discussions, please express your interest using this form.

NGY is owned by Nottingham City Council having been successful in securing funding from the ‘MyPlace’ programme. The programme launched in 2008 when the Government awarded grants of between £1 million and £5 million to Councils for the development of world-class youth centres in some of the most deprived areas of England.

Over the last decade, the Council has steadily cut funds for youth provision across the city in response to declining budget allocations from central government. The final blow for Base 51 came in 2022 when the funding was stopped completely, leaving potentially thousands of vulnerable young people at risk. Due to these financial changes, Base 51 may have to make changes to their Universal Provision, which includes the Youth Club. The Youth Club currently runs Monday, Thursday and Friday and provides a safe place for young people to come after school and to receive a hot meal.

Base 51 is focused on early intervention - which means identifying and providing effective early support to young people who are at risk of experiencing poor outcomes, such as struggling at school, mental health problems, taking risks with drugs or sex or getting involved in gangs or crime. This is about tackling the issues before they are allowed to grow, giving young people options and support instead of just concentrating on punishing them when it's too late.

Crowdfunder support

The charity is running a Crowdfunder to help with the rising costs of the critical support they provide to thousands of young people. Currently, every donation up to £250 will be doubled by the Aviva Community Fund, and there are rewards for donations over £50.

Please consider donating or sharing the details of the Crowdfunder: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/base51nottingham.

All pledges must be made by Monday 24 April 2023. The funds raised will be spent on providing Youth Services for vulnerable young people.

If you can help in any other way, please email fundraising@base51.org.uk.

With thanks to new funding awarded to The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire (OPCC), local domestic abuse organisations are uniting to provide vital support to children affected by domestic abuse (CADA).

Through this partnership, Equation, Imara, Juno Women's Aid, NIDAS, and Nottinghamshire Women's Aid are delivering essential programmes, services and projects to improve support available for children directly affected by domestic abuse.

All organisation partners are offering various support programmes, services and projects that build on existing offerings to increase capacity and to provide some innovative ways to support children and young people.

Some of the partners provide services under the same model, but all of the programmes differ slightly with the same overall outcome - to support and strengthen the mother and child relationship, improve mental wellbeing, and increase their confidence and self-esteem.

Referrals to access any of the services and programmes under the CADA funding can be made by:

• Parents and carers to ensure they get the support they need for their child and their family
• Professionals, such as schools, social workers and support workers who are working with women and children who would benefit from the programmes.

Please contact individual partners using the details below for more information:

Equation
equation.org.uk / 0115 962 3237 / info@equation.org.uk

Imara
imara.org.uk / 0800 183 0023 / info@imara.org.uk

Juno Women's Aid
junowomensaid.org.uk /  0115 947 5257 / enquiries@junowomensaid.org.uk

NIDAS
www.nidas.org.uk / 01623 683 250 / referrals@nidas.org.uk

Nottinghamshire Women's Aid
nottswa.org / 01909 491 330 / cors@nottswa.org

Trent Dementia is a charity which aims to improve the quality of care, support and wellbeing of people who are living with dementia in the East Midlands and beyond.

Trent Dementia is offering a free drop-in on the 3rd Wednesday of each month during April, May and June 2023 (19 April, 17 May and 21 June) at Tiger CIC, 19-21 Listergate, Nottingham NG1 7DE (next to H&M).

Drop in anytime between 10.30am and 1.30pm for a free lunch of soup and cake, warm drinks and a chat. The invitation is open to a person with a diagnosis, family members or friends.

For more information, call 0115 748 4220 or email contact@trentdementia.org.uk.

Arts Council England National Lottery Fund has funded IMPACD CIC to provide a new creative wellbeing service for Nottingham City and the surrounding area. They invite residents and support services to visit and experience the wellbeing activities that are on offer over the next year.

IMPACD stands for Inclusive Movement Participatory Arts & Community Dance.

The "Freedom to Explore" project provides accessible and inclusive dance, drumming, music, singing and art sessions from Monday to Friday for the next 12 months. This includes multigenerational activities for families during school holidays, For the Easter holidays, they would like to prioritise LGBTQ+ families and families with young carers who might appreciate a smaller safe space with inclusive activities which are creative and not sports or competition based.

Entry to the sessions is free. Donations are always welcome.

IMPACD CIC has been researching how to engage specific groups in regular creative dance activities as part of a research residency at FABRIC, formerly dance4.

They are now looking for partners who will commit to sharing the opportunity they have created, refer people they are supporting, assist with the evaluation of their experience as appropriate and make "Freedom to Explore" a local service that meets the creative and expressive needs of people in Nottingham's most deprived areas.

Please find out more on the IMPACD CIC website, or via this referral pack.

You can also email info@impacd-cic.org.uk or call 07719 790736.

Deadline: Ongoing. Apply at least 12 weeks before you want to start the activities or spend any of the money.

As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, The National Lottery Community Fund has a critical role to play in supporting communities to come together.

While it's now too late to get funding for events during The Coronation of His Majesty The King or the Eurovision Song Contest, you are encouraged to apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges.

You can apply for grants between £300 and £10,000 in any 12 month period. Groups with smaller incomes are prioritised.

Make sure to read the Awards for All guidance.

Deadline for initial expressions of interest is 5pm on Friday 19 May 2023

Charities and CICs seeking to influence and achieve change in national policy and practice around specific issues within accommodation, social security, and refugees and asylum seeker support can apply for grants of £30,000 to £150,000.

Eligible organisations should have an annual income over £25,000. There is no upper limit for income.

The programme is particularly interested in proposals led by or actively developed with user groups and/or people with direct lived experience of the relevant issues. This funding programme will not support service delivery or a charity’s core costs.

(This programme is also seeking assessors to help decide what work should be funded. See more in the Appeals, Campaigns and Opportunities section below.)

NCVS has been running drop-in sessions for potential volunteers and groups in selected community venues for well over a year. We’ve now decided to put our regular weekly sessions on pause while we evaluate how we can best use our limited staff and volunteer resources to support community groups, potential volunteers and other stakeholders.

This means that our sessions at Bulwell Riverside and The Chase Centre in St Ann's will not take place for the time being. Please keep an eye on this e-bulletin and our Want to Volunteer webpage for news of the evaluation and our plans for the future.

If you have immediate questions around this development, please contact Dave Thomas, our Volunteering Development Officer at davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk or call 07564 040767.

Meanwhile, you can see and search all the active opportunities on our website.

In the last couple of e-bulletins, we’ve highlighted the keenness of local companies to volunteer in the community. There has been so much positive reaction to our posts that we’ve decided to devote some time at the Leaders of Volunteers Network (LoVN) meeting on Thursday 27 April 2023 to discuss this topic.

Book your free place at the next Leaders of Volunteers Network (LoVN) meeting.

To find out more, email davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk or call 07564 040767

Green social prescribing is a way of connecting people to nature-based activities and green groups, projects and schemes in their local community for support with health and wellbeing. Often this will be through a referral from a Link Worker based at a GP practice or another primary care professional.

Our scheme in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called GreenSpace, is one of seven government Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn sites. It's all about improving people’s mental health. Green providers, social prescribers, voluntary organisations and community initiatives will help connect many more people with nature-based activities, helping everyone to feel better.

Spring has sprung, and the latest GreenSpace bulletin is available to read.

You can view it in your web browser now. If you would like to receive future issues directly to your inbox, please email greenspace@nottinghamcvs.co.uk with a request to be added to the mailing list.

Friday 31 March 2023, 8pm to midnight
Marcus Garvey Ballroom, Howitt Building, Lenton Boulevard NG7 2BY
Free entry

Fearless Youth Association (FYA) in partnership with Youth Music brings together an evening of artists, fans and local communities across the city, raising awareness of young people's careers in music and amplifying grassroots music projects. There will be free food and soft drinks available, alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase at the bar.

If you have any questions, please email admin@fyaonline.com.

Thursday 20 April 2023, 1pm to 2pm
Free to attend, online via Zoom

This free seminar hosted by NPC (New Philanthropy Capital), with funding from and in partnership with the Clothworkers’ Company, is aimed at trustees and will explore:

• how trustees can embed environmental issues, including environmental justice, into their decision making
• how charities might evolve their strategies and programmes in light of the climate and nature crises.

Wednesday 12 April 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 25 April 2023, 10:30am to 1pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 31 May 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person.

Cost: £25 per participant

Thursday 18 May 2023, 10.30am to 12 noon

An interactive online session for Trustees (or members of Management Committees) of organisations whose activities put them in contact with vulnerable adults or children.

Cost: £15 per participant

Tuesday 18 April 2023, 10:30am to 12:30pm

This two-hour online session covers the basic information for all trustees, whether you are new to the role or long-established.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 16 May 2023, 1pm to 3.15pm

A new interactive hands-on workshop for organisations and community groups who want to practice their skills and would welcome constructive feedback to further develop their skills in writing successful funding applications.
Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 12 June 2023, 6pm to 8pm

Do you manage a space, office or building? This new two-hour online session will take your Fire Wardens and/or Fire Marshal through the basics. As a result, they will be better equipped to carry out these very important roles.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 16 May 2023, 10:30am to 12:30pm

This two-hour online session is intended for trustees who have completed our 'Being a Trustee' course, who want to further develop their involvement and awareness of trustee duties and improve their personal skill set.

Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 22 May 2023, 6pm to 8pm

Are you acting as secretary or note taker, or do you need to record meetings? Learn how to take effective minutes and make your task easier. This two-hour online session replaces our previous face-to-face three-hour course and will take you through the process of producing a 'minute'.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 21 June 2023, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This new two-hour online session will explain the basics of health and safety, then take you through the process of carrying out a risk assessment in an organisational environment.

Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 3 July 2023, 6pm to 8pm

What is the right structure for your organisation? This two-hour online session will explain your options and provide you with some useful tips to help you through the process of registration and beyond.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 6 June 2023, 10am to 11.15am

For organisations and community groups who are new to applying for funding, or for those in need of a refresher. Relevant for groups applying for COVID-19 funding and recovery support as well as other general funding.

Cost: £10 per participant

Thursday 29 June 2023, 10am to 11am

In this one-hour online session, we will identify some of the barriers that potential volunteers face to becoming involved in your organisation and share ideas to remove these barriers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 14 June 2023, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session aims to share some ideas about how best to deal with the inevitable disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts that arise from time to time among a team of volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session looks at methods that have proved to be effective in volunteer leadership, including the best ways to plan, involve, support and retain volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 24 May 2023, 10am to 12 noon

For some time, we’ve been asked about training that goes beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers. In this new two-hour online session, we’ll explore some of the real-life issues that you are facing.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 9 May 2023, 10am to 12 noon

A two-hour online course for Leaders of Volunteers to start to develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 12 April 2023, 2pm to 3pm

A one-hour online session to help your volunteer role descriptions stand out, ensuring you attract enthusiastic volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

The PDU aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues).

Contact Katie Hall, our PDU Programme Manager, for more information: enquiries@pdunottingham.org

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Did you know the PDU produces its own e-bulletin every month? It's packed full of information for everyone working around severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD), including volunteers and people with lived experience. If you're not yet signed up to receive messages direct to your inbox, you can subscribe here.

Tuesday 16 May 2023, 1pm to 2.30pm
Online, free to attend

Join us for a free online workshop where we will be exploring modern day slavery and its intersection with severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD).

This interactive session, run by Nick Clare, Assistant Professor in Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham will include:

• An introduction to the concept of modern day slavery and it's overlap with severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD)
• A more in depth exploration of modern day slavery that includes preliminary findings about how this issue presents itself locally within Nottingham City
• A group discussion into modern day slavery drawing on the insights and experiences of attendees with the opportunity to contribute and shape ongoing research.

Audience: Anyone with an interest in modern day slavery who may also be keen to influence understanding of what modern day slavery looks like locally. We welcome individuals with lived experience of SMD to attend, as well as professionals and volunteers from all sectors.

Please download our event poster to share with your networks.

Attendance to this event is free of charge, but advance booking is essential. Registrations will close on Monday 15 May 2023.

Online via Zoom, free to attend
Selection of dates between April and June 2023 available to book via Eventbrite

This free, two-hour online training about women and gambling related harms is suitable for those working in the voluntary and community sector or public sector in the East Midlands. It is delivered by GamCare.

You will learn about gambling-related harm, risk factors, impacts, and how to identify and support people affected, as well as the treatment network and how to refer clients to treatment services. This training is essential for any professionals or volunteers who work with women and families.

Sarah Franklin, Training and Engagement Lead for the East Midlands Women’s Programme, also offers face-to-face sessions and bespoke sessions specific to your organisation’s needs. If you would prefer this approach, please email sarah.franklin@gamcare.org.uk.

Free to attend, online via Teams

Available dates are:

• Wednesday 19 April 2023, 1pm
• Tuesday 25 April 2023, 10am
• Tuesday 2 May 2023, 10am
• Wednesday 17 May 2023, 10am

This training is delivered by Nottinghamshire Carers Association. Find out how to identify and support hidden unpaid carers and where to signpost to the right support and information.

To book, please contact claire.battelle@nottinghamshirecarers.co.uk.

Radford Care Group's next programme of special support sessions for carers of people with dementia takes place on:

Wednesday 3 May to Wednesday 14 June 2023, 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Arnold Methodist Church, 54 Front Street, Nottingham NG5 7EL

This free seven week programme has experts guiding the group and also offers mutual support from other carers, refreshments, and a chance to get your questions answered in a relaxed and informal setting. Help with respite care may be available (subject to suitability).

Booking is required. For more information or to reserve a place, please email info@radfordcaregroup.org.uk or call 0115 978 6133.

Clean Air Nottingham (CAN) is a  community-led action group working to promote clean air in Nottingham. They are looking for five individuals involved with local voluntary and community organisations to volunteer to have an air quality monitor fixed to their house or a garden outbuilding in different areas of the city. Top of their list are areas like Top Valley, Broxtowe, Bulwell, Bell’s Lane, Beechdale, Aspley, St Ann’s and Bilborough, but all areas will be considered.

Five air quality monitors are already in use in Nottingham, and CAN has just ordered five more from the United States. The reason to ask for volunteers from voluntary and community organisations is one of security. The monitors are costly to replace, so ideally they would be attached to a group member’s home or the home of their friends or family, where the householder can ensure their security. Monitors could be attached to a community building or somewhere in a community garden, but they would need to be safe from any potential interference.

Monitors are fixed with one screw. They measure approximately 5 inches in diameter and 5 inches high. An outside power source is necessary from an outside shed, garage, cellar or other means (CAN will help link this up). The power used is 1 Watt, equivalent to a phone charger. Then the monitor simply links into your wi-fi and you can see it on the national map within hours.

If you can help, or you would like to find out more, please contact Roger Critchley on 07985 940134 or email rjcritchley@btinternet.com.

Communities in Nottingham are suffering from dentist closures and the widespread lack of accessible NHS dentistry provision. Toothless in Nottingham is the local hub of the Toothless in England campaign.

Toothless in England acts as the central hub for a network of 'Toothless' campaign groups across the country, all run by volunteers. The national campaign was born out of the Toothless in Suffolk group set up in 2021 after both of Leiston’s dental practices closed, leaving over 5,000 residents without local access to an NHS dentist.

This campaign group has been put together to hear patient testimony and to demand that the government reform the NHS dental contract, provide proper funding for it to succeed, and urge NHS providers to reinstate local dentistry provision.

Toothless in Nottingham has six demands:

1. An NHS dentist for everyone.
2. Reforms to the NHS dental contract that will encourage dentists to provide NHS treatments.
3. Revenue to cover the 50% of the population that are unfunded by the government.
4. NHS dental treatments to be free at the point of use.
5. People to be prioritised before shareholder dividend - no more privatisation.
6. An end to the two-tier system - hygienists, routine check-ups and preventative treatments must be a core NHS function.

Toothless in Nottingham is asking the public to share their experiences of being unable to access an NHS dentist.

If you use social media, join in with the local campaign via their Facebook group or follow @nottsteeth on Twitter.

For further information, email Andrew Lord: andrew.lord.private@gmail.com.

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is looking for three people with lived or learned experience to help assess applications for their new National Influencing Grants programme. (Details of how to apply to this funding programme appear in the Funding News section above.)

The role involves reading and assessing applications to a grants programme focused on influencing change nationally. They are looking for people who can ask questions and help understand which applications could have the best impact.

The three assessors will be paid for their time. There are different levels of involvement available between the end of April and October 2023.

Deadline for responses: midnight on Friday 28 April 2023

This survey is relevant to UK based charity, non-profit and social sector organisations. Has your organisation's use of digital changed since last year?

The survey asks about your organisation's overall progress with digital, priorities, funding needs and challenges. There are also questions about specific digital skills, your Board, IT provision and digital services. There are further questions about the cost of living crisis.

Anyone can complete the survey, even if digital is not your area of expertise. You might be a staff member, CEO, trustee or volunteer. You can do it alone or with a team (one response per organisation). It helps to have an overview of your organisation and digital skills.

By completing the survey, your charity will be entered into a prize draw to win one of four unrestricted £800 grants.