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 12 of the Newcastle Fund is now open. 

You can find out more about the fund and how to apply on this web page.

About the Fund

The Newcastle Fund aims to support 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 12 Prospectus.

Available funding

VCSE organisations 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.

Newcastle Fund Small Grants

In Round 12, we have also introduced Newcastle Fund Small Grants, an additional funding option for grants of up to £5,000. This part of the Fund is intended to provide a more accessible funding option for smaller or newer grassroot VCSE organisations in the city who are seeking small amounts of money to support their vital community activity. There will be a shorter application form for this part of the Fund, and we will only require a short impact report during the life of your grant to understand the difference your activity has made. Applications for Newcastle Fund Small Grants will be received during January 2022 for activity that will be delivered between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

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

For more information on The Newcastle Fund and how to make an application, read the Round 12 guidance notes.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted online.

Apply for Funding

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 2019-20

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2018-19

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2017-18  

The Newcastle Fund Annual Report 2016-17

Newcastle and Gateshead Funding Fair 2021

Hosted by Connected Voice, this year's virtual funding fair is held over 3 days on the 16th, 17th and 23rd June 2021. It's a great opportunity to hear from a wide range of local, regional and national funders, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn more about how to improve your fundraising activity. Further information about the Funding Fair and how to book your place can be found on Connected Voice's Funding Fair 2021 web page.

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.
For general enquires about applying to the Newcastle Fund, contact us at newcastlefund@newcastle.gov.uk.