Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) is delighted to announce the newly remodelled Community Solutions Thematic Fund will be open for applications from the 5th February 2025. From the recurring funding received from University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire (UHSC-NL), VANL has £316,000 of funding available for Community & Voluntary Sector (CVS) organisations to apply for.
The intention of the new funding model is to ensure the funding is more dynamic and responsive to changing themes and priorities on an annual basis, including the priorities of the Community Solutions Strategy and Investment Plan, UHSCP-NL Strategic Commissioning Plan and Programme of Work, and public health priorities.
The Fund will be split into 3 strands, these being:
· The Innovation Strand: This strand will aim to fund projects with new approaches to prevention and early intervention and will have £126,400 available for applications. Applications should be made in the range of £10,000 to £50,000, with the average application being around £27,000.
· The Volunteering Strand: Given the importance of this area of work to the sector, this strand will aim to fund projects with a focus on different approaches to volunteering and will have £126,400 available. Applications should be made in the range of £10,000 to £50,000, with the average application being around £27,000
· NL-Wide Applications: This strand will aim to fund organisations delivering projects across three or more NL localities. This could include for example projects that are condition specific or projects focussed on communities of interest or identity rather than geography. This will be split over two calls for applications, with each call having £31,000 to distribute. The first call will be in line with the launch of the fund and a second application window being open from 30th September and closing 24th October 2025. Applications should be made in the range of £5,000 to £15,000, with the average application being around £10,000.
More information about the application process and the fund will be available on the Community Solutions website on 5th February 2025. Please make sure you are signed up to the VANL ebulletin to make sure you are notified when the fund launches.
We will be hosting an information session on 7th February 10am-12pm at GLO Coffee Shop & Conference Centre (78 Muir St, Motherwell ML1 1LP) for anyone who has any questions about applying.
If you have any queries, please contact gordon.watson@vanl.co.uk or marta.szczepanska@vanl.co.uk
