Update on Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
The Charity Commission is now considering online applications from new organisations that want to register as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). New charities with an income of more than £5,000 will be able to apply for this new legal structure.

The structure provides charities with some of the benefits of being a company, without all of the associated burdens. CIOs are incorporated charities able to enter into contracts in their own right. Their trustees will have limited or no liability. CIOs are registered and regulated by the Charity Commission and have to register with Companies House.

The Charity Commission has published the following indicative timetable for 2013. Depending on their income, existing unincorporated charities can set up a CIO and transfer assets into it from the following dates:

• Late March 2013: income exceeding £25,000.
• May 2013: income between £100,000 and £250,000.
• July 2013: income between £25,000 and £100,000.
• October 2013: income between £5,000 and £25,000.
• January 2014: income less than £5,000 and brand new charities with anticipated annual incomes of less than £5,000.

Groups wishing to set up a new charity should keep in mind that the CIO structure is most suitable for small-to-medium sized charities which employ staff or enter into contracts. While running a CIO should be simpler than establishing a charitable company.

More information here.

Rhiannon Jones
Project Support Officer
Community Based Services
Strategic Commissioning Team

Boomfest 2013

On the back of the sucess from last years Boomfest festival in Weston super Mare, 5 to 25 the Local Commissioning Network for Weston South are busy planning this years.

If you are a provider you may be interested in this:

5 to 25 are staging boomfest 2013 in partnership with b-creative, on 15 and 16 June in Grove Park Weston super Mare.
boomfest will be a celebration of children and young people's talents and achievements in arts, sports and other positive activities. We also want to offer children and young people the chance to try activities (so far as space allows) and to find out about what's on for them.

We hope to be working with the Central and Weston East LCNs on this.

If any of you market activities directly to children and young people/ their parents and run activities in or close to Weston super Mare, and would like to either run a demonstration, workshop, or have a stand promoting your offer please let me know.

Thanks

Stuart Wood
stuart.5to25@gmail.com

BIG Assist- Opportunity for Infrastructure Support

"If you are a voluntary organisation or social enterprise who mainly supports other organisations you can now apply to get help with strategy and change,financial stability, innovation, marketing and more.

The BIG assist programme helps strengthen infrastructure organisations through a diagnostic and voucher scheme, as well as a collaborative peer to peer community to help improve their services for the benefit of the whole sector. Click on the link to apply http://bigassist.org.uk/ "

Going Beyond: Journeys of Exploration

Following the success of last year’s talk by The Mitchemp Trust's co-founder, David Hempleman-Adams, this February we will be welcoming three seasoned explorers to the stage.

Martin Hartley, Paul Rose and Jon Gupta will be sharing their adventures to our planet’s ocean depths, atop its highest peaks and across its frozen poles. Their presentations will be followed by a panel Q+A and a prize draw.

For those harbouring the aspiration to go further, the would-be Edmund Hillarys amongst us (and those who just enjoy learning about the great outdoors) - an evening not to be missed.

All proceeds go to The Mitchemp Trust - www.mitchemptrust.org.uk

To book your place please visit  - St George's Website

Are you interested in safe street play for your children?

The sight and sound of children playing happily in the street seems to belong to a by-gone age of old newsreels, Enid Blyton adventure stories and the BBC’s Light Programme!  But thanks to a new initiative, a street in North Somerset has already tried and tested this out and with a bit of help from neighbours and North Somerset Council’s Street Scene team, organised a street closure so that children could feel as safe as their grandparents did!

Byron Close, Locking village, is the first street in North Somerset to take out a temporary street closure order so that children can play safely for a couple of hours after school.

Mum, Lenna Harris  commented: “There was a general feeling from all involved that this is a wonderful way of taking children away from their computer screens and televisions for a while for some healthy air and exercise. “

The ‘PlayingOut’ project started up in Bristol where two neighbours who shared an interest in free play wanted their children to have some of the same freedom they had growing up.   Now, in a move to introduce the scheme to north Somerset more parents and children living in North Somerset are invited to sign up their street for some safe street play!

Parent organizer Lenna Harris said, “It was an unbelievable success that we must repeat! The street closure took place for just a couple of hours and it wasn’t just the children who had fun.  Often we just don’t see our neighbours so it was good to have a street gathering while the children did what comes natural and just played out.”

 If you would like to activate street play in your community and want to find out more about ‘Playing Out’ visit: www.playingout.net  or contact Liz Lansley at liz.lansley@n-somerset.gov.uk  01275 885 143,

Invitation to Express Interest- Portishead Local Commissioning Network

 Dear Provider,

INVITATION TO EXPRESS INTEREST

The Portishead Local Commissioning Network (LCN) has received funding to commission a partner(s) to set up the provision of a sustainable strategy for the delivery and marketing of positive activities for children and young people (aged 0-19) in the area.

The LCN is inviting expressions of interest from providers (individuals and organisations) who feel they may be able to deliver all, part or one of the projects.

**The project aims and expression of interest form are available please let me (Heather) know if you want the full EOI information and forms. (due to the forms not being online**

If you are interested in this exciting new opportunity, please send the completed expression of interest form back to:

Portishead LCN

St Barnabas’ Centre

West Hill

Portishead

BS20 6LN

pilgrim@portisheadparish.co.uk

to arrive by Tuesday 12^th March.  Expression of interest forms received after this time cannot be accepted.  All expressions of interest will be considered on Wednesday 13^th March and candidates invited to tender will hear by Friday 22^nd March.

A detailed service specification including the desired project outcomes for each project and the allocated funding will be available to those providers who are invited to tender for the projects.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you every success in your application.

With warm wishes  

TINA HODGETT

Vice-Chair

Portishead Local Commissioning Network

Team Vicar Portishead Church of England

Even more funding... including summer playschemes, sports and more

Hi all

A few more here which may appeal to your network or organisation.

• Tesco Charity Trust
• Funding For Summer Playschemes
• Social Entrepreneurs Programme
• Community Sport Activation Fund
• Holiday Grants for Children

Tesco Charity Trust Support for the Elderly and / or People with Disabilities (UK)

The Tesco Charity Trust has announced that it is currently accepting applications for projects supporting the elderly and/or people with disabilities.  

Through the Trust Community and Voluntary groups can apply for grants of between £500 and £4,000 through the Tesco Charity’s Community Awards.

The types of projects supported in the past have included:

• Befriending schemes
• Luncheon clubs
• Specialist equipment for disabled people
• Day trips / social trips – for elderly / disabled people, etc.

The Tesco Charity Trust Trustees also consider grant applications at their tri-annual meetings. These grants range between £4,000 and £25,000 and are to support local, national or international projects in areas where Tesco’s operate. The closing date for applications is the 31st March 2013.

Funding for Summer Playschemes (UK)

The Hilden Charitable Fund has announced that its Summer Playscheme Grants Programme is now open for applications to help community groups run Summer Playschemes for the benefit of children from refugee and ethnic minority families.

Funding of between £500 and £1,500 is available for Summer Playschemes for children aged 5 - 18 years lasting for 2 - 6 weeks with strong volunteer support. The funding is available to voluntary agencies with an income of less than £120,000. Some priority will be given to projects which show they are inclusive of children from refugee families, and show BME involvement. 

The closing date for applications is the 17th May 2013.

Lloyds Banking Group Social Entrepreneurs Programme (UK)

The Lloyds Banking Group has announced that its Social Entrepreneurship programme is open for applications.  

The programme aims to support individuals and organisations with project ideas to improve local communities.  The programme provides two levels of support.  New organisations or projects at an early stage can apply for funding of up to £4,000 as well as one year of training and development.  Established organisations that are looking to scale up their projects can apply for funding of up to £15,000 and one year of training. 

Previous projects supported include:

• A community micro-brewery employing the elderly
• Yoga classes aimed at vulnerable young parents
• A scheme designed to assist ex-offenders returning to work. 

The closing date for applications is 3pm on the 2nd April 2013.

Community Sport Activation Fund (England)

Sport England has announced that its £40 million Community Sport Activation Fund grant scheme will re-open for applications on the 7th May 2013. 

Through the Community Sport Activation Fund  grants of  between £50,000 and £250,000 will be available to sports clubs, schools, local authorities and other not for profit organisations to support grassroots sports activities at a very local level.

The type of activities that can be funded include

• Activities reflecting a broad range of sports
• Informal opportunities which could lead to regular participation
• Multi-sport activities which provide people with a range of choices and opportunities to suit them 
• Family orientated activities with a focus on 14 plus age group
• Local activator roles that focus on directly organising and delivering new opportunities for participation.  

The closing date for applications will be the 1st July 2013.

Henry Smith's Charity - Holiday Grants for Children (UK)

The Henry Smith’s Charity is accepting applications through its Holiday Grant for Children Programme.

Applications can be made by schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities for grants towards holidays or outings within the UK for children aged 13 and under who are from areas of high deprivation, are experiencing disadvantage, or those who have a disability.

Applications can be considered for holidays or outings that have the objective of providing children with a break they would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. The maximum grant available is £2,500 for any one trip. Grants are normally limited to a maximum of two-thirds of the total cost of a trip as we would expect some local partnership funding to be in place.

There are no closing dates and applications can be submitted at any time.