The NBO received the attached email via the Interfaith Network. This identifies two sources of funds which are available to Buddhist groups for interfaith week 21st – 27th November 2010. The first fund is open to umbrella groups such as the NBO.
However, the second fund is available to a wide range of Buddhist groups. It offers up to £2000 to highlight and showcase their community work. So organisations such as Angulimala, Karuna Trust, Amida, and many others would be eligible.
The timescale for submitting a proposal is short – groups have until the 13th September. We suggest that any group wishing to apply for funds, informs the NBO, so that we can coordinate information and possibly offer support if appropriate.
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Dear National Faith Community Representative Body contact,
Earlier this I week heard from Andrew Stunell, Minister for Cohesion in the Department for Communities and Local Government, the welcome news that CLG will be making some funding available towards activities for this autumn’s Inter Faith Week in England.
I have now received further information from Warwick Hawkins, Head of Faith Communities Engagement at CLG, that some funds have been earmarked to support a number of possible projects by the national communities of the Bah’ai; Buddhist; Christian; Hindu; Jain; Jewish; Muslim; Sikh and Zoroastrian faiths. Specifically:
a) Grants to encourage involvement in the Week by local faith community members
Funding up to a total of £2,000 per faith community is available to assist national communities to promote participation in Week activities by their member organisations at local level and by places of worship and faith based organisations.
These grants are to assist in production and distribution, by the end of October, of relevant materials such as leaflets or web resources indicating the nature of the Week; why it is important; the basis for involvement of the faith community in question; and how to get involved. The expectation would be that these would be would be issued jointly by all the main representative bodies within the faith community concerned.
b) Grants to enable national faith communities to highlight and showcase their communities’ work – individually and together – for the good of society.
Support to a level of £2,000 per faith community is available for focused and informative events which will enable sharing of good practice and which have the prospect of being well covered by local and national media. The aims of the Year are the same as last year. However, Ministers are particularly interested, in the context of the Big Society agenda, in faith based social projects. National faith community bodies might, for example, choose to use as a location for their event a local faith based voluntary organisation from their community – such as a faith based care home for the elderly or a faith based youth initiative. While CLG recognises that some faith communities will opt for London based events, it has indicated that it hopes that a number will be held outside the capital as it is keen to see events happening in different areas of England.
Any applications for this funding must reach Warwick Hawkins at CLG by Monday 13 September. Faith communities can apply for both types of grant. The Department has said that applications for this limited amount of funding will be assessed on the basis of merit. It has indicated that any proposal should explain clearly:
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- the intended outcomes to assist success of the Week
- value for money (including why the applying organisation is particularly well placed to arrange the event)
- how the event’s success will be gauged and reported on
- how the event will be developed and who will be its immediate beneficiaries
- how it is planned to publicise the event
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The funding is being offered by CLG on the basis that bodies will liaise with IFN to ensure, so far as possible, that there is good interconnection in planning and coverage of the Week.
You can also contact Warwick Hawkins at warwick.hawkins@communities.gsi.gov.uk
I am very pleased that funding has been found for the 2010 Week in England and the IFN office looks forward very much to working with you again to make the Week a big success.
Best wishes, Harriet Crabtree
Dr Harriet Crabtree
Director
Inter Faith Network for the UK
8A Lower Grosvenor Place
London
SW1W 0EN
Tel: 020 7931 7766
