Ask a Regional Manager – August 2019

Clare Rance is our Regional Manager for the South West of England. Before joining Lloyds Bank Foundation in April 2016, Clare held Grant Manager roles at Devon and Dorset Community Foundations and delivered local grant programmes on behalf of national funders including the Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief and the Dulverton Trust.  Previously she has worked in development roles in the public sector with a focus on strategic partnerships and community strategies.  She has spent most of her working life in the West Country and other roles have included District Manager for Oxfam and Researcher at Exeter Archaeology.

When not working she spends time with her young family exploring the local beaches and cycling in the New Forest. This year she did the couch to 5k programme and has just signed up for her second 10k run!

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Q: Do you fund community interest organisations?

I’m assuming you are referring to Community Interest Companies (CICs)?

Our approach as a Foundation has always been to support registered charities and more recently Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs).  A registered charity is regulated by the Charity Commission and is required to prepare and submit an annual report and accounts.  Registering as a CIO allows an organisation to be both a charity and a company, with the same reporting requirements as registered charities.  Checking these reports forms an important part of our due diligence process when we are making decisions about whether to invest in an organisation.

Our grant-making processes are reviewed regularly by our trustees. However, as CICs do not have the same robust reporting mechanisms as charities and CIOs, our trustees have decided that the Foundation would not fund them.

 

Q: We are seeking funding to upgrade our IT systems which we rely on to support our volunteers and families and which provides data to help secure funding for our service. Can I apply for a grant for the cost?

The good news is that we do fund IT costs under our core cost grants programme.

If your charity is already funded by us, you are eligible for this type of support under our Enhance programme.  Your Grant Manager would be able to match you with approved providers that could help you to identify your upgrade requirements, to supply and help you implement specific database options and provide IT hardware (PCs, laptops and tablets).  We may also be able to provide you with specific digital support through our Lloyds Banking Group mentoring programme, which might be useful to consider as you work through the upgrade.

If you are not a current grantholder, you can apply for our Enable development grants before 31 August. If you would like to apply for core funding, you will need to wait until our core grants reopen in November before you can check your eligibility and apply. You can sign up here to be notified by email when grants reopen.

 

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