The grant scheme is now open for applications and will close on 6 December 2024 at 23:59.
An information session will be held online on 12 November 2024 at 10 am – 12 pm. Please register here if you would like to attend.
Funding to help voluntary organisations maximise their impact through organisational development and increased resilience.
Current status of the fund
On this page
- About the fund
- Our aims
- What we’ll fund
- Eligibility
- Timescales
- How to apply
- Further support
- What we’ve funded
- Contact us
About the fund
The Comic Relief Organisational Growth Grant is managed by WCVA and funded by Comic Relief. The scheme offers funding to voluntary organisations in Wales to help them maximise their impact through organisational development and increased resilience.
Our aims
Comic Relief and WCVA recognise the great work that community led organisations do across Wales and we want to help organisations to build their capacity in a sustainable and impactful way. The aim of the Organisational Growth Grant is to give organisations the chance to make strategic changes that enhance their impact and increase resilience, for example:
- Build on what is working well in relation to your organisation’s community activity
- Strengthen and measure the impact of your core community led activity
- Develop new ways of working
What we’ll fund
The scheme will fund organisations which work to deliver benefits under the following themes:
- Children and young people – learning and development; early childhood development
- Community – focusing on local services including food banks, community kitchens and safe spaces for vulnerable people
- Family focused outreach and support – basic essentials and needs / financial support
- Homelessness
- Mental health services
Actions to be funded under this grant request should be aligned with the aims of the grant scheme, which are explained in the scheme guidance document.
Grants between £20,000 and £35,000 will be available to voluntary organisations in Wales. The total value of the scheme is £315,000.
Eligibility
Voluntary organisations in Wales with an annual income of less than £250,000 are eligible to apply. Please refer to the scheme guidance for the full eligibility criteria and a list of the types of organisations we will fund.
Timescales
The application window is open from 14 October 2024, closing 23:59, 6 December 2024.
The earliest activity can begin is 3 February 2025 ending no later than 1 June 2026.
How to apply
To apply for an Organisational Growth Grant, you will need to register with WCVA’s Multipurpose Application Portal (MAP). If you have previously registered with MAP, you can log in by entering your username and password on the home screen.
Organisations can register by visiting the website map.wcva.cymru.
If you need help registering on MAP, please follow this video.
Further support
This guidance document is designed to help applicants understand more about the Comic Relief Organisational Growth Grant.
For additional support please contact your local County Voluntary Council.
What we’ve funded
Need inspiration? These are the projects we funded under the previous round of the Organisational Growth Grant:
- The Game Change Project developed a new mission statement, a three-year fundraising strategy and a clear vision for the future. They strengthened their financial management systems, HR and governance, which gave them a solid platform for sustainable growth.
- The grant helped Little Lounge at a crucial stage in the growth of the organisation, enabling them to serve the community while preparing for the launch of their first Community Hub. The additional capacity allowed them better data collection and monitoring, and it was instrumental in securing funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund.
- Aberystwyth And District Hospice At Home Volunteers (HAHAV) used the grant to recruit a temporary Head of Retail who developed a three-year retail strategy and implemented a range of new policies and procedures. These laid out a clear path to maximise profitability from existing retail activities.
- The grant provided Citrus Arts with the capacity needed to undertake a deep organisational reflection and to develop a new strategic plan for 2023-27. It also enabled them to apply for and secure multi-year core funding from Arts Council Wales and a grant from the Shared Prosperity Fund.
- The grant gave Operasonic the time and resources required to identify, nurture and develop an emerging leader, who had faced barriers to their leadership journey. The funding also enabled the organisation to adopt a more strategic and long-term approach to fundraising and planning. The grant was essential for the organisation in securing multi-year core funding from Arts Council Wales.
Contact us
If you have any questions or would like to speak to us about your project idea, please contact the Grants Team on 0300 111 0124 or email us at comicreliefgrants@wcva.cymru.