Earlier this year, we were given public data that unsurprisingly showed the highest number of COVID-19 infections were found in parts of Bristol with higher than average national indices of multiple deprivation. We wanted to find out more about why this was happening and also what can be done to reduce inequalities in these neighbourhoods.

The Henry Smith Charity's Strengthening Communities Fund has identified a relative shortfall in applications and awards to organisations in Bristol. Groups with a turnover up to £500,000 can apply for core funding grants up to £60,000 per year for three years, and develop a long-term relationship with the programme.

The Strengthening Communities Fund invests in organisations that are embedded in their neighbourhoods and working to address a wide range of local priorities to improve connections, wellbeing, resilience and cohesion.

The National Lottery Community Fund has announced that round two of the £4 million Local Connections Fund has reopened for applications.

The UK Government has made funding available to reduce the risk and impact of hate crime at places of worship and associated faith community centres in England and Wales.

The Places of Worship (POW) Protective Security Funding Scheme will award grants of up to £56,000 to individual places of worship of all faiths, apart from the Jewish community (which has access to a separate scheme through the Community Safety Trust).

Ufi VocTech Trust has released details of its Challenge Fund, which aims to tackle digital exclusion and reduce the digital divide in adults. VocTech stands for 'vocational technology'.

The challenge it has set is to 'address barriers and build bridges to create a step-change in learner confidence and motivation, leading to better outcomes for the learner, for the employer and for society as a whole'. 

Bristol's Local Access Partnership (LAP) has an exciting opportunity to innovate in the sub-£50k social finance market, to make loans more equitable for social enterprises coming from communities experiencing inequality in Bristol. Bristol LAP is looking for an outstanding and innovative partner to deliver our sub £50k loan project.

Further information can be found in the tender documentation:

One-off, short-term grants are available for small charities, non-profits and schools to fund day trips for disabled or disadvantaged children aged under 13.

This year, The Henry Smith Charity has opened its Holiday Grants programme with more flexibility than ever before, in light of COVID-19 and its impact on already disadvantaged people. The funding is designed for day trips rather than residential stays, because of the uncertainty around holidays and travel during the pandemic.

The final round of funding gathered from the Tampon Tax is currently open for applications from charities that support women and girls. This money comes from the European Union VAT imposed on sanitary products, which ended here when the UK left the EU. 

This final round of funding, running from 2021-22, has a lower grant threshold designed to benefit more organisations than in previous rounds, where grants of up to £1 million were available.

Eligible organisations are:

People who have a religion give to charity more often than those with no faith, and their most prioritised cause is also different, according to YouGov Profiles analysis.

Phase 2 of the Windrush Community Fund is open for applications from groups and organisations that can raise awareness of the government's Windrush Compensation Scheme in their community. 

If you work with a community affected by the government treatment of Windrush generation people and their families (who, through no fault of their own, were unable to prove their lawful right to live and work in the UK), your organisation can apply for a grant of £2,500-25,000. Local authorities and individuals cannot apply.