Henry Duncan Grants

Henry Duncan Grants 2022 has now closed.

View the organisations supported through Henry Duncan Grants in 2022.

View the organisations supported through Henry Duncan Grants in 2021.

View the organisations supported through Henry Duncan Grants in 2020.

Supporting grassroots charities through funding that comes with trust and time

Grassroots charities make a big difference to the lives of millions of people throughout Scotland. Henry Duncan Grants plays a small role in supporting their work through providing £1m each year across a wide range of groups.

Henry Duncan Grants was relaunched in 2020. Speaking to charities made it clear that groups want funding that comes with trust (fewer restrictions and lighter touch processes) and time (the option of funding over more than one year).

The main changes are:

  • A move to multi-year grants of up to five years.
  • Greater flexibility, with grants unrestricted wherever possible.
  • Lighter touch processes.
  • A rolling programme of micro grants.
  • Continuing to have a broad focus, but with yearly themes.


Themes 2020 – 2024

To make the biggest impact it can, Henry Duncan Grants will focus on a different theme each year, with grants aimed at:

2020 – Enabling families to cope with the impacts of poverty

2021 – Improving mental health and wellbeing

2022 – Supporting children and young people facing challenges

2023 – Increasing opportunities for disabled people and people with long term conditions

2024 – Supporting people experiencing inequality or discrimination

 

Henry Duncan Grants will be open to grassroots organisations with an annual income of £500,000 or less. Organisations can apply for up to £40,000 across five years (£8,000 per year) in unrestricted funding.

We anticipate making grants up to a total of £925,000, meaning approximately 23-25 organisations are likely to receive funding. In recognition of historic inequity in funding, Corra will commit at least £300,000 (around 30%) of this fund budget to support organisations that are led by Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities.

In 2022, Henry Duncan Grants funded organisations that could demonstrate that they are supporting children and young people (aged 6-26 years) to overcome the impacts of inequality in their lives.

Following engagement with young people and community organisations, we identified two priority areas for funding:

  • Organisations that are supporting children and young people to shape their own lives.
  • Organisations that are supporting children and young people to develop skills for the future.

Details and documentation for the 2023 funding round will be available in due course.

The involvement of children and young people and those with lived experience are central to this programme. We are particularly interested in organisations where projects and services are initiated and led by people with lived experience. Strong applications are likely to reflect this way of working. We realise that this is not always possible, but as a minimum all applications should be informed by and involve children and young people who are experiencing the issues. There will be a focus on supporting organisations engaging children and young people to overcome the impacts of inequality they experience in their lives.

We are unlikely to fund organisations that have more than 12 months of unrestricted reserves.

We expect to receive a high volume of applications to this fund and, through engagement with children and young people and community organisations, we have identified two priority areas for funding:

1. Children and Young People shaping their own lives

This theme will support organisations that can demonstrate strong and meaningful involvement of children and young people in decision making within the organisation. It will also support organisations that facilitate the involvement of children and young people in local/national decision making.

Examples of organisations who may receive funding within this theme are those that:

  • Provide advice and advocacy services that are person-centred and led by the child/children or young person/people.
  • Support safe spaces for children and young people to connect with each other and access support.

2. Skills for Children and Young People’s Futures

This theme supports organisations that can clearly demonstrate that they are creating and facilitating opportunities for children and young people through access to new experiences, skills, mentoring, or other opportunities.

Examples of organisations who may receive funding within this theme are those that:

  • Support volunteering and peer support.
  • Offer mentoring or leadership development.
  • Offer career development opportunities.

In recognition of the historic inequity of funding, Corra will commit at least £300,000 (around 30%) of the fund budget to support organisations that are specifically led by Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities.

Your application will have access to this ‘ring-fenced’ funding pot if your organisation fits both of these criteria:

  • 75% or more of the Board of Trustees/ Management Committee self-identify as being from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic community AND
  • 50% of the senior staff self-identify as being from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic community, where staff exist.

Organisations must also fit with the ‘who can apply’ criteria (see page 2 of the Criteria and Guidelines) and work on one of the two priorities for 2022 (see page 4 of the Criteria and Guidelines).

Any organisation that meets the above criteria, but whose application is unsuccessful in receiving funds through the ‘ring-fenced’ pot will also be assessed with all others to the fund. This means there are two opportunities during which your application can be considered.

If your organisation does not meet these thresholds, you can still apply and be considered along with all other applications.

If you are a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Led Organisation and you’d like to find out more please sign up to one of our 1-2-1 information sessions which are taking place on Monday 27th June, via this link or get in touch with us for a chat – you’ll find the details on how to do this in the ‘Get in Touch’ tab below.

You can apply if you are:

  • An organisation that has been supporting children and young people (aged 6-26 years) for at least the past 12 months.
  • An organisation where listening to and involving children and young people, ensuring their voices and views are heard, is at the heart of the approach to the work of the organisation.
  • A charity registered in Scotland, or
  • A Community Interest Company (CIC), Registered Social Enterprise or other registered not–for-profit entity (such as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital) registered on Companies House with governing documents clearly stating that:
    1. The organisation is not for profit or has a clear clause ensuring that all income is applied to the organisation’s purposes and not distributed to members, shareholders or owners.
    2. There is a dissolution clause/lock in place requiring assets are distributed to an organisation with similar charitable aims in the instance of closure.
    3. There are at least three directors, one of whom is unrelated.
    4. No director has more than 50% control or voting rights.

Please read the Criteria and Guidelines for more information on organisations that cannot apply.

Important notes for organisations that have already received a Henry Duncan Grant:

  • If you have previously received a Henry Duncan Grant, this must have been completed by August 2022 to be eligible to re-apply.
  • Henry Duncan Micro Grant Holders can still apply even if they have an ongoing Henry Duncan Micro Grant.

Good Practice

It is important that organisations working with communities are well run, manage money properly, and treat people fairly. We look for organisations we support to be able to show their commitment to:

  • Understanding the difference your work makes to people’s lives.
  • Working with others, networking, sharing learning and avoiding duplication.
  • Respecting the safety of vulnerable groups via effective safeguarding procedures – please read the Guidance on Completing the Henry Duncan Grants Online Application Form and Common Questions and Answers for more information on what we mean by ‘safeguarding procedures’.
  • Being open to adapting delivery in the face of changing circumstances.
  • Operating with openness and clear accountability.
  • Complying with any relevant regulations or inspections.
  • Implementing equal opportunities policies and valuing diversity, including in relation to recruitment.
  • Being a responsible employer.
  • Ensuring sound justification for any payments being made to Trustees/Directors on the board.

Henry Duncan Grants 2022 has now closed. We expect to notify organisations of the outcome of their application by 14th October 2022.

 

 

How much can you apply for?

You can apply for up to £8,000 across five years – a total grant of £40,000. You can apply for fewer years or a smaller amount per year if you’d prefer. We encourage you to think about what your organisation needs and to apply for that.

What can you use the money for?

Henry Duncan Grants provide unrestricted funding. That means you can use the money to deliver any aspect of your work with children and young people, including projects or the general running costs for example paying staff, rent and overheads (heating etc).

Please be aware that the grants cannot be used for large capital costs (for example refurbishing a building). However, they can help with buying small pieces of equipment such as a laptop or printer.

How funding decisions are made.

Every application is assessed by a member of Corra’s grants team. At this stage they check eligibility and the strength of the fit with theme (see Priorities on page 4 of the Criteria and Guidelines). During the assessment process, you may be contacted by a member of Corra’s grants team to discuss your organisation’s application further. A panel of children and young people, including children and young people from Black, Asian and Minority Led Communities will then review the applications and make the final recommendation on which organisations should receive funding. This recommendation goes to Corra’s Trustees who approve the grants.

We expect to notify organisations of the outcome of their application by 14th October 2022.

If you need any more information or would like to discuss your application, the team at Corra is always happy to talk, so please get in touch by emailing henryduncan@corra.scot or calling us on 0131 444 4020 for a chat.

You can also sign up to attend one of our information sessions via this link.

We are committed to funding organisations that shift the power to communities and those with lived experience. We recognise that application forms and assessment processes can present barriers in accessibility and have tried to overcome these as much as possible.

If you feel that you would benefit from additional support – for example by completing this form in a different language or accessing the form in a different format – please get in touch with us to arrange this at henryduncan@corra.scot or on 0131 444 4020. The quickest way to reach us is through email.