The Newcastle Fund

The Newcastle Fund is the Council’s primary grant giving programme for VCS organisations

The Fund was introduced in 2011 and replaced a number of different grant aid programmes across the Council.  It provides monies to voluntary and community sector organisations based in the City for project-specific running costs or core costs.

Round 11 of the Newcastle Fund is now open for applications for activities that will commence in April 2021.  The application window opened on the 3 June 2020 and will close on the 18th August at 12:00 noon.

About the Fund

The Fund aims to support Newcastle residents to build sustainable community resources. To do this, it grants financial support to VCSE organisations to pilot, expand or diversify important community activity.   The Council recognises that active citizens are at the heart of community activity and so The Newcastle Fund supports projects which use the skills, local knowledge and expertise of people as assets to design solutions which:

• build community resilience
• improve individuals' resilience
• improve wellbeing and health

More than ever, we are aware of the increased pressures on the voluntary and community sector as a result of the pandemic, therefore, we would like to emphasize that the Fund will continue to invite funding requests for organisational core costs to support you through this period.

By supporting projects which harness the power of community assets, the Fund can respond to the unique needs of communities and empower residents to achieve lasting change.

You can find out more about the aims and priorities of the Fund in The Newcastle Fund Round 11 Prospectus .

Available funding

Projects can apply for up to a maximum of £50,000 per year, for up to 3 years. Multi-year funding is usually awarded in exceptional circumstances, where projects have successfully demonstrated a multi-year funding rationale, shown improvements over the course of the project and shown consecutive reduction in the amounts of funding requested.

Eligibility

The Newcastle Fund is available to constituted VCS organisations, registered charities and social enterprises. Funded activity must take place in Newcastle and benefit Newcastle residents. 

Please note the Newcastle Fund will NOT support:

• organisations that are not constituted voluntary and community organisations, registered charities, or social enterprises
• activity outside the Newcastle City Council area or activity which targets beneficiaries who are not Newcastle residents
• costs or activities outside of the period of award
• costs associated with submitting an application
• organisations which do not have an organisational bank account

Read The Newcastle Fund guidance notes for more information and see our Round 11 Launch Presentation.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted online.

Apply for Funding

The Newcastle Fund - Small Pledges for Big Impact

The Newcastle Fund launched a small pledge fund in 2018/19 as part of the Tyneside Crowd, a crowdfunding platform.  The Newcastle Fund - Small Pledges for Big Impact is designed to provide small, speedy pledges to Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) projects in Newcastle. 

Pledges of up to £1,000 are still available for projects in 2021/22 that engage local communities in improving their own and others' wellbeing and reduce inequalities. These projects can be for people, buildings or spaces – as long as they add real value to their communities. For more information visit Tyneside Crowd.

Measuring the Fund's impact

The Fund produces an annual report, which describes how the Fund has benefited Newcastle’s residents and communities over the last year, and shares information on projects funded and outcomes achieved.

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2018-19

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2017-18  

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2016-17

Ward Committee Grant Aid

In addition to the Newcastle Fund, the Council devolves funding for neighbourhood level projects to our ward committees, where decisions on funding are taken  by elected Councillors. Small projects which are focused on specific neighbourhoods should consider an application to the relevant ward committee, rather than to the Newcastle Fund. Further information can be found on the Grants and Funding web page.

Feedback and contact

We are committed to regularly evaluating our Newcastle Fund process to make sure it is effective. If you have any comments about the process, please let us know by emailing newcastlefund@newcastle.gov.uk.
If you have any general enquires about applying to the Newcastle Fund, please contact Heather Rothwell on 0191 2115869 or email newcastlefund@newcastle.gov.uk.