Small Sparks Plus Round 3

Introduction

The Small Sparks Plus Grants Scheme aims to help charities, community organisations and community interest companies who work with local communities to improve their health and wellbeing. The organisations that are funded will currently be working at a local level to improve health or wellbeing in Newcastle. Moreover, they will be community led and will build on local communities’ strengths, facilities or resources. Projects that are working solely with young people will not be considered. However, we will consider projects that involve young people together with adults.

After consulting with local organisations, Round 3 of Small Sparks Plus will focus on projects working in one or more of the following ways:

1. Projects that build community connections and help bring people together over food, music, cultural experiences and common interests.
2. Projects that support older people (55+), disabled people, people with physical health issues, people with mental health problems, unpaid careers or people who have been bereaved.
3. Projects that enable digital accessibility amongst people who have barriers to getting online. 
4. Projects that reduce poverty, in particular those that promote access to better nutrition and help address food poverty. 
5. Projects that enable people who otherwise don't have easy access to transport to lead a more active life.

Please see below for more details.

The fund will award grants of between £500 and £3,000, which can be used towards the capital costs and/or revenue costs of projects that improve health and wellbeing through the focus areas listed above. One-off events, as well as longer projects that take place over 6 months will be considered. Projects must be delivered within 6 months of the grant being awarded, and a report must be submitted by 25th December 2026. Projects that are open to communities must also be added to InformationNow.

We expect to give out approximately £48,750 in Round 3 of the fund, which means we will be able to award between 15 and 17 grants. 

Organisations who were successful in Small Sparks Plus Round 2 cannot apply for Round 3 of the fund. If you were successful in receiving Round 1 Small Sparks Plus funding and would like to apply for Round 3, please contact us.

The closing date for Round 3 applications is has been extended to 4pm on Tuesday 21st April (the original closing date was 4pm on Tuesday 14th April).

Who can apply?

Charities, constituted community organisations, or community interest companies limited by guarantee can apply to this fund. 

Organisations must be currently undertaking work to improve health and wellbeing at a local level in Newcastle. This fund will only support work that takes place in one or more of the four Newcastle Neighbourhood areas:

• North
• East 
• Inner West
• Outer West. 

When considering applications, we will prioritise projects that serve the Outer West or North Newcastle, though projects operating in other areas will also be considered. A map of the Newcastle Neighbourhood areas can be found by clicking this link: https://www.informationnow.org.uk/organisation/newcastle-neighbourhoods/

Your project will also need to meet all three of the following criteria: 

1) Projects will be community led. Examples of how your project could be community led include the following:

• The idea for the project has come from a local residents’ group, or from consultation you have undertaken.
• Local people are involved in the design of the project
• Local people are working or volunteering in the project
• A steering group made up of local people is directing the project. 

2) Projects will support health or wellbeing. The fund will focus on projects that support health and wellbeing in one or more the following ways:

1. Projects that build community connections and help bring people together over food, music, cultural experiences and common interests. These should be people who will benefit most from the chance to connect with others.
2. Projects that support older people (55+), disabled people, people with physical health issues, people with mental health problems, unpaid careers or people who have been bereaved. These can provide a chance for people to connect with others, support mental and emotional wellbeing, support independence, and encourage physical activity. These are only examples and other activities will be considered.
3. Projects that enable digital accessibility amongst people who have barriers to getting online. However, given the size of the grant, we will prioritise support to help people use equipment over the purchase of IT equipment, and then only when this is part of a support package and other options for provision of equipment have been explored. Also, any applications that include purchase of equipment would need to explain how the equipment will continue to benefit the community beyond the lifetime of the project.
4. Projects that reduce poverty, in particular those that promote access to better nutrition and help address food poverty. For example, this may include communal meals, household budgeting, nutritional education, practical cooking skills. However, given the size of the grant, we will not be providing funding to support the normal activities of a food bank.
5. Projects that enable people who otherwise don't have easy access to transport to lead a more active life.

3) Projects will build on local strengths, facilities or resources.  Projects will build on the assets, skills and connections that local communities already have, and will make these stronger. Examples include:

• Basing your project in a local community centre
• Taking referrals from other local organisations
• Working with another local group
• Recruiting additional volunteers or providing more training and support to your existing volunteers
• Bringing back into use an underused community facility, or community space such as a local allotment or park
• Developing a new space for community use.

Organisations must also meet all the criteria below to be eligible to apply: 

• Either be a registered charity, constituted community organisation, or a community interest company limited by guarantee;
• Undertake activities that are charitable and legal (but your organisation does not have to be a registered charity);
• Have unrestricted reserves of no more than 12 months expenditure (this will be judged by looking at your organisation's most recent set of annual accounts);
• Organisations must have an annual income of less than £300,000 (as noted in your last set of annual accounts). 
  • If your project is a local branch of a larger organisation, such as a national charity, we are happy to consider the annual income for your local branch. We will need to be sent the last set of annual accounts for your local branch, which has been approved by your governing board. These branch accounts will need to have an income of less than £300,000.
  • If your project will take place in the North or Outer West and your annual income is over £300,000 this maximum income cap may be increased to accommodate your application. Please contact 0191 235 7021 to discuss your project if you would like to apply under these circumstances. We will consider how you are responding to residents' needs and place to work with or link with smaller neighbourhood organisations to determine whether your organisation can apply. 
• Organisations must be currently undertaking work at a local level in Newcastle to improve health or wellbeing.
• Have a written governing document (such as a constitution, articles of association or a set of rules);
• Have a governing body with at least 3 unrelated members;
• Have a UK based bank or building society account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories;
• Have an appropriate safeguarding policy in place (every organisation that undertakes charitable work has a duty to safeguard volunteers, staff members, participants and donors).
• Organisations who were successful in Small Sparks Plus Round 2 cannot apply for Round 3. If you were successful in receiving Round 1 Small Sparks Plus funding and would like to apply for Round 3, please contact us. 
• Projects that are working solely with young people will not be considered. However, we will consider projects that involve young people together with adults.
• Projects that involve group excursions or days out must be within the North East area and part of an ambition to connect people through shared interests and learning. 

We will prioritise organisations that are: 

• Smaller, with lower annual income levels.
• Delivering projects that serve Outer West or North Newcastle.
• Delivering projects that focus on older people, people with disabilities, physical health issues or mental health problems, unpaid carers or people who have been bereaved.

How much can you apply for? 

Organisations can apply for grants of between £500 and £3,000 to cover capital cost, revenue costs, or both capital and revenue costs. Core costs cannot be funded by this grant. One off events, as well as longer projects that take place over 6 months will be considered. Projects must be delivered within 6 months of the grant being awarded, and a report must be submitted. 

What sort of work will we fund? 

You can apply for project running costs, these costs can include capital costs, revenue costs or a mixture of both capital and revenue costs. We’ve provided some examples of the kind of things you might want to apply for below. 

A capital cost is the cost of buying an item that lasts for many years, like refurbishing a building, equipment or furnishings. Revenue costs relate to a specific project or service and include things like staff costs, room hire, transport costs, or volunteer expenses. 

Examples of the sort of projects that could be considered are included below. Each example relates to one or more of the focus areas. However, these are only illustrative and do not cover every possible project. If you would like to discuss your idea, please email smallsparksplus@connectedvoice.org.uk and we’ll get back to you.

Example 1

On 10 days over 6 months, we will deliver a half-day programme of activities for at least 30 people in our area who are isolated and living in their own homes. The programme will include a guest speaker, singing, a craft activity, as well as a chance to chat. Lunch will be provided on arrival. The theme for each session will be devised by our members. Where necessary, transport to the event will be provided, though this will be limited to 10 people and will be allocated based on need.

Example 2

We will provide a series of low-impact exercise classes for older people aged 55+. We will hold an exercise class once a week, alternating between Tai Chi and Chair Yoga each week. Both sessions will support older people with their mobility, mental health, and forming connections with others. Our community centre is well used by older people in the village, who are keen to take part in activities that will help them maintain their independence and wellbeing. Opportunities for this are currently limited by poor public transport links in the area and a lack of local provision.

Example 3

We will provide training to all our staff and volunteers so they can support people who are struggling to access online information and services. We engage with up to 100 people each week. Many of the people we work alongside older people and they either do not have access to the internet, or struggle to use it. The idea for this project has come from our annual client survey which showed this was the issue people have said they most needed help with. As part of this project, we will help link people online, through online chats to help support each other with top tips.

Example 4

Over 3 months, we will provide six cookery classes to the people who regularly attend our local community centre. We will provide participants with recipes that are easy, cheap and nutritious. At the end of the session, we will eat the food we have prepared together. After each session, we will provide recipe kits to participants containing all the ingredients they need to make 3 additional meals. We will be working with the local allotment association on this project; the allotment association will provide fresh vegetables for the project. We will also host a celebratory meal with the allotment association that has been cooked by students from the cookery classes.

Example 5

We will work with a local community minibus service to provide opportunities, once a fortnight for people who are experiencing barriers to travel and accessing public transport. This will enable time in the local shops and to have some food and a cuppa together. We will recruit and train two volunteers to support and coordinate the offer. The funds will pay for the community minibus fuel and will provide a level of subsidy for refreshments.  

What cannot be funded?

• Organisations that do not meet our eligibility criteria 
• Responsibilities of statutory agencies
• Profit-making work
• Party political activity               
• Activities promoting religious beliefs         
• Work outside UK
• Applications from individuals
• Overseas travel                                                                            
• Interest payments on loans                                     
• Funding going towards the purchase of a building
• Costs that your organisation has already incurred (‘retrospective costs’)      

How much funding is available? 

The total amount of funding available from Newcastle City Council for Small Sparks Plus was £130,000. In Round 1 there was £32,500 available which was awarded across 11 grants. In Round 2 there was £48,750 available which was awarded across 16 grants.  

We expect to give out £48,750 in Round 3, which means we will be able to award between 15 and 17 grants in this round. Round 3 is now open, and the closing date has been extended to 4pm on Tuesday 21st April.

How to apply

Please click the link at the bottom of this page.

To apply for Round 3, please complete our brief application form by Tuesday 21st April at 4pm.

We regret that we are unable to accept late applications. We encourage you to submit your application form before the closing date to make sure that we receive it in time. 

How to get help

We encourage you to contact us if you have any queries about applying. If you have any access requirements please do let us know what support we can provide. 

If you need some additional support to apply, or you have any questions about the fund, please email small smallsparksplus@connectedvoice.org.uk. When you send in your email please provide your organisation name and contact name. If you would like to speak to someone also include your contact telephone number. 

If you have a problem with filling out the online application form, please email the Connected Voice Support and Development team on connect@connectedvoice.org.uk. 

If you do not have access to email and need some help please call the Connected Voice Support and Development team on 0191 235 7021. 

We will do our very best to respond to your queries as soon as possible, we can usually reply within a couple of days. 

How decisions will be made 

The applications that are received will be reviewed and assessed by Connected Voice. A grants panel made up of representatives of Newcastle City Council, VCSE and community representatives will decide on those applications that will be recommended for funding. None of the organisations involved in the decision-making process will be eligible to apply to the fund. 

Application timetable

More information?

Please click here for FAQs 

Apply here: https://form.jotform.com/ConnectedVoice/small-sparks-plus-round-3