Awards for All (A4A)
Important changes to Awards for All scheme
England
It was announced on 4 November that the lottery funded Awards for All programme in England will cease at the end of March 2009. At this point the lottery distributors,who have jointly funded the scheme (Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England) will make their own provision for small grants.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will continue to provide small grants through the existing 'Your Heritage' (£3,000 to £50,000) and 'Young Roots (£3,000 to £25,000) schemes.
The Big Lottery Fund will launch a new small grants programme on 1 April 2009 awarding grants of £300 to £10,000 to local communities in 2009-2010. The main change will be to the approach to Heritage, Arts and Sports projects. Because funding for these projects will be made available via the other lottery distributors, BIG will no longer look to directly support these sectors, unless they also focus on supporting community projects that meet our four outcomes:
- People have better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills
- Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems
- Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to enjoy
- Healthier and more active people and communities
For further information see the Awards for All Frequently Asked Questions document
Applications can still be made to Awards for All in England up to 31 March 2009.
Northern Ireland
Applications can still be made to Awards for All in Northern Ireland up to 15 December 2008.
Scotland
Awards for All will continue in Scotland but not with HLF support. Further announcements will be made in 2009.
Wales
Awards for All will continue in Wales but not with HLF support. If you are applying for a heritage project you need to submit your application by 31 December 2008.
Organisation:
Awards for All is a grants programme set up to help small groups. It is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council England, Scottish Arts Council, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Sport England, Sports Council for Northern Ireland and Sport Scotland tnd the Big Lottery Fund.
Programme Objectives
The main aim of the programme is to fund projects that enable people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community.
Awards for All projects should aim to:
- Extend access and participation by encouraging more people to become actively involved in local groups and projects, and by supporting activities that aim to be open and accessible to everyone who wishes to take part.
- Increase skill and creativity by supporting activities which help to develop people and organisations, encourage talent and raise standards.
- Improve the quality of life by supporting local projects that improve people's opportunities, health, welfare, environment or local facilities.
Eligibility
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you are a not-for-profit group or you are a parish or town council, school or health body
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You can spend your grant within 1 year.
- You have a constitution or a set of rules which you have adopted.
- You have a bank or building account in the name of the group.
- You have annual accounts or statements of income and expenditure.
Timetable
- Applications can be submitted at any time.
- Decisions are normally given within 8 weeks of submission.
Criteria
- Grants are: England (between £300 and £10,000), Scotland ( £500 to £10,000), Wales (£500 to £5,000), Northern Ireland (£500 to £10,000)
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Organisations can receive up to a maximum of £10,000 from Awards for All in any two-year period.
- Each country has special areas and projects they wish to focus on, details of these are on the individual websites.
Types of Project Funded
Prestatyn Local History Association - grant to create a trail leaflet around historical points and create a community archive. The money is for printing costs, computer, printer, scanner and consumables.
Sailortown Local History Project - grant will enable the group to document the history of Sailortown by means of stories, photographs and memorabilia. With this grant the group will buy computer equipment to enable it to interview locals and collate historical information.
Archives and Museums of Black Heritage - the group preserves, documents and disseminates information on the history and culture of black people of African descent who are or have been based in England. The grant will fund display cases that will enable the group to generate better publicity.
Friends of Dudley Archives and Local History Society - a project to create a historical photo album, featuring photos of the local area between 1900-1925 and stage an exhibition of the photos. The grant will pay for the production of the photo album, computer equipment to reproduce the photos and exhibition and display equipment.
Application/Contact Details
Application Pack Ordering and Helpline:
Tel: 0845 600 2040
On-line
Notes and Comments
- The application form is short and simple.
- Assessment is light touch with no visits and made entirely on the information you send in.
- Excellent way of maximising funding by working with Friends and Local History Groups.
- Grants can cover the costs of equipment needed for the project will be of lasting benefit to the groups applying.
