As Covid-19 continues to impact our communities, Bridge India would like to do its bit to help communities in the UK. Our Community Grants Programme will focus on three streams of activity: Strengthening Communities, Promoting Culture and Building Future Leaders.

The Programme will launch on Gandhi Jayanti (2 October 2021) and provide grants of £100, £500 or £1,000 to support a broad range of projects.

Ahead of this launch, we call on you to support our endeavours and contribute to the Programme, in whatever small way you can. Between February and September 2021, we aim to raise £20,000 from community support, which we will match funding for.

 

Who can apply? 

The grants are aimed at projects led by young people aged 16-24 in England and Wales. Priority will go to those individuals or organisations that can evidence that they can deliver significant impact locally. Geographically, the fund covers England and Wales. 

 

When to apply?

Our applications process will open on 2 October 2021, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday), and will be on a rolling basis thereafter.

 

What type of funding can you apply for? 

Funding is available to continue existing work, start or extend projects tackling emerging needs, at three levels: £100, £500 or £1,000. Organisations must demonstrate how their work will benefit one of the fund’s key themes: 

Strengthening Communities:

In this collection of his writings and speeches, Mahatma Gandhi wrote with passion and sincerity for the cause of better understanding among individuals and communities, whether in South Africa, India or elsewhere. Covid-19 has erected new barriers between communities in the UK, with inequality rising and opportunities to collaborate with people different to you diminished.

Will aim to support projects that bring communities together, both figuratively and literally, in particular helping the Indian diaspora engage with the wider community. It is rooted in the ideas of social solidarity, looking out for your neighbour and empowering a better society for all.

Promoting Culture:

Despite making an immense contribution to the British economy, arts funding has been consistency cut over the last decade. During the pandemic, as cinemas, theatres and other venues closed, opportunities for artists have significantly reduced.

We are committed to ensuring the rich artistic and cultural heritage of India is alive. We will support projects which seek to promote engagement in, and awareness of, the arts, and will focus on providing support where others are not able to.

Building Future Leaders:

Young people are our future leaders. We would like to help you access your inner leader, to unlock your potential and grow. We will give rising leaders who want to, or are already, making a difference in their communities the opportunity to grow their work. We seek to empower your to make your efforts more effective, to identify innovative solutions to complex societal issues, and promote change through values-based leadership.

We will support projects that promote thinking, training, supporting and growing leaders. This could be through promoting mentorship, seminars, thought leadership, contributing to intellectual thought and professional development.

 

General grant criteria for applicants

Applicants should also read our general grant making criteria. Review this section to check that the project and activity for which you are seeking funding meets our criteria. 

The Fund will support those who are:

• Aged 16-24 years old
• Reside in England and Wales
• Explicitly engaging both members of the Indian diaspora as well as non-diaspora in their project or activity
• Working to benefit people living in England and Wales

To be eligible you must:

• Have a real social impact
• Fulfil a clear need and demand
• Have clear outputs and goals
• Provide a learning experience or opportunity
• Be a grassroots-led activity

 

Examples of the types of projects and activities we will support are listed below but we will consider funding any activities that have clear community benefits and that meet our general criteria

• coaching or training activity
• project costs
• sessional costs (we do not fund salaries)
• capacity building activities
• transport costs
• repair costs

 

We cannot support projects or activities that:

• Are part of your employment where you are an employee (including internship or work placement)
• Involve political or religious campaigning
• Involve activities outside the law or against public policy, or anything that encourages ethnicity, religious or commercial disharmony
• For-profit or commercial elements of charitable organisations
• Are direct replacements for statutory or public funding
• Contingency funding
• Unspecified contributions to general fund-raising appeals or large projects
• Fundraising activities
• Are profit-making or business ventures, including start-up costs
• Are sponsorships of events

 

Further details are in the Grant Guidelines, which will be made available at our launch. Applicants should read these carefully before applying. 

Please contact a member of our team at contact@bridgeindia.org.uk you have any questions or need help with your application.