Power to Change – Powering Up! Capacity Strengthening Support Programme

Status: Open to applications

Application Deadline: 30 November 2020

Description

Tailored support package of up to £3,000 to increase community business leaders’ knowledge, to provide wellbeing support and to build peer relationships to boost recovery especially in communities hardest hit by COVID-19.

Value Notes

A support package of up £3,000 is available. This is to be used by end of June 2021.

Successful applicants will receive:

• An assessment of support needs with a Link Worker.
• Link Workers will then support the organisation to connect with and access the agreed support package.
• A mix of technical (e.g. business or financial planning, governance, HR, digital) and non-technical (e.g. peer support, coaching, wellbeing) support.

Extended Description

Powering Up has been set up by Power to Change as part of its Community Business Renewal Initiative support package for the community business sector in England to recover from the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis.

Powering Up is a tailored support package designed to increase community business leaders’ knowledge, to provide wellbeing support and to build peer relationships to boost recovery across the sector. The programme is open to any community business in England to apply; however, priority will be given to community businesses in the most deprived areas of England, as well as organisations that are supporting and led by disabled people and/or people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups.

The support package for community businesses will be tailored, depending on the needs of the organisation. Each organisation will be assigned a Link Worker, whose role is to help organisations access the right support and to resolve any issues along the way.

Latest Information

The deadline for applications is 30 November 2020 with notification of decisions by 8 December 2020.

Key Criteria

Local community businesses that are incorporated and based in England can apply.

A variety of legal structures are eligible to apply but organisations must be incorporated and have a charitable purpose at the heart of the project that funding is being sought for.

Examples of incorporated organisations include:

• Charitable Incorporated Organisation
• Community Benefit Society
• Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee
• Community Interest Company Limited by Shares
• Company Limited by Guarantee
• Company Limited by Shares
• Cooperative Society

Please note that registration with the Charity Commission is not the same as incorporation. Applications will be accepted from registered charities which are incorporated.

A community business is often set up to tackle a local issue that the community faces together. There are many types of community business but the four key features that they must have are:

• Locally rooted – they are rooted in a particular geographical place and respond to its needs, for example high levels of urban deprivation or rural isolation.
• Accountable to local community – they are accountable to local people. This can be demonstrated in many ways but the organisation must have evidence of regular community influence on the business.
• Trading for benefit of local community – they are businesses and their income comes from activities like renting out space in their buildings, trading as cafés or selling the produce they grow.
• Broad community impact – they benefit the community as a whole and can clearly evidence the positive social impact on the broader community.

Priority will be given to organisations that can demonstrate they are operating in a community that has been hardest hit by COVID-19.

For more information please visit Power to Change – Powering Up