Benevolent Belles – An Event to Celebrate the Strong Women in Staffordshire on International Women’s Day
Join us on the evening of the 8th March 2024 at The George Hotel in Lichfield for a brand new event that celebrates all the incredible women in our lives, particularly those that make a difference and have an impact on the charity and voluntary sector. The 8th March is International Women’s Day so it’s […]
Share The Love this Valentine’s Day
Why not share the love this year and show your loved one how much you care with this virtual heart. Just £2 per heart and the more hearts you have, the more chances you have to win. We have teamed up with two local restaurants in Staffordshire to help Share The Love as we head […]
The Nature Hubs Fund
The Nature Hubs Fund: creating and enhancing green spaces
Recent Hubbub polling found that spending time in nature makes three-quarters (78%) of people feel better1. Despite this, a third of people in the UK (36%) spend less than an hour a week in nature. The Nature Hubs Fund is designed to help change this.
Together with Starbucks, Hubbub is offering around 50 groups up to £6,000 of funding to develop green space initiatives and increase access to nature. Groups will be connected with a local Starbucks store, who will support projects in a number of ways. We will support groups to create or enhance green spaces. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and relate to any one or more of these four themes:
- Increasing Access
- Bringing People Together
- Upskilling the Community
- Building Climate Resilience
Visit their website to read the application guidance, FAQ\’s and access the application form to apply
National Lottery Grants for Heritage
In late July 2023, the National Lottery Heritage Fund published the first three-year delivery plan for its new 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033 that aims to invest £3.6 billion across the UK.
Key points:
- In the next three years, £870 million will be invested through the National Lottery Grants for Heritage and a further £140 million strategic initiatives.
- In partnership with departments in England and Wales, NLHF will also distribute more than £43 million in government funding in 2023-24 alone.
- The funding plans amount to a total of £1 billion between now and 2026.
- The National Lottery Grants for Heritage application process will be simplified, making it more proportionate to the amount of money being requested.
- Recognition of rising costs. The upper grant limit has been raised to £10 million, and the lower grant threshold will be raised to £10,000 in January 2024.
- In Autumn 2023, announcement expected of the first nine of 20 location across the UK where NLHF will invest through its Place initiative.
- In Winter 2023, details of partnership to deliver urban nature recovery through Nature Cities and Towns initiative expected.
The funding will continue to support a broad range of heritage projects and activities, such as industrial sites, castles and historic places of worship, to the stories and memories of communities, and through to public parks, natural landscapes and native wildlife.
Priority will be given to heritage projects that:
- Promote inclusion and involve a wider range of people (mandatory outcome)
- Boost the local economy
- Encourage skills development and job creation
- Support wellbeing
- Create better places to live, work and visit
- Improve the resilience of organisations working in heritage
Two levels of funding are available:
- Grants from £10,000 to £250,000 (applications have temporarily closed but will reopen in January 2024 with new Heritage 2033 guidance.
- Grants from £250,000 to £10 million (development round applications have temporarily closed but will reopen in January 2024 with new Heritage 2033 guidance; expressions of interest and delivery round applications remain open).
How To Apply
All relevant document relating to priorities, application guidance, help notes and revised outcomes are available from the NLHF website. Applicants should read these documents before starting the application process.
Catch up on the Green Conversations
The Staffordshire Green Network is a new network for community and voluntary groups in Staffordshire to support each other in moving towards sustainability. You may be interested in the environment, in food security, energy, creating a healthy place to live, improving active travel opportunities and much more – the Green Network will provide opportunities to […]
