Description: Three or four large grants are available to give British charities the chance to deliver the project they have always dreamed of, but never had the opportunity to bring to life.
Current Status: Open for Applications
Maximum value:£ 1,500,000
Objectives of Fund: The Fund is intended to give organisations the chance to deliver the project they have always dreamed of, but never had the opportunity to bring to life.
Value Notes: Grants of between £500,000 and £1.5 million are available to deliver a project over a period of 24 months to 36 months.
Match Funding Restrictions: Applications for part-funding are accepted.
Who Can Apply: All applications must come from charities in Scotland, England or Wales for projects to be run in these regions. Not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to collaborate to deliver a more effective and wide ranging project.
All applications must come from at least two organisations. The following conditions apply:
- One of these organisations must be a registered charity, who will be considered the lead organisation for the project and will enter into a contractual relationship with the Trust in order to deliver the project. The main grant contact must be with this organisation.
- The supporting partners can be charities, voluntary groups, community interest companies, universities or other not-for-profit organisations.
- The lead partner in any application must have an annual income that is at least two times the grant amount applied for (ie, if applying for £500,000 then the lead applicant must have an income of at least £1 million and if applying for £1.5 million then the lead applicant must have an income of at least £3 million as evidenced by their latest audited accounts).
- Organisations who have previously applied for or received funding from Postcode Dream Trust are eligible to apply as long they have collaborated with at least one other organisation, and adhered to all funding requirements.
Restrictions: The following are not eligible for funding:
- Local authorities, city councils or government/statutory bodies.
- Schools.
- Hospitals.
- For-profit businesses.
- Charities who apply without any partners.
- Grant giving bodies who wish to distribute the funds to other organisations.
- Charities applying for projects where the beneficiaries reside overseas.
- Projects taking place overseas.
- Projects that are not innovative and do not represent a ‘dream’.
- Projects do not demonstrate a long term impact beyond the duration of funding.
- Projects applied for by local authorities and statutory bodies.
- Projects that will not spend the funding within 36 months.
- Requests of less than £500,000.
- Requests of more than £1.5 million.
- Eligible Expenditure
- This year (2019) the Dream Fund is looking for projects that seek to implement systemic change in order to address an important social or environmental problem.
Systems change involves looking at problems in a macro context and understanding the entire ecosystem of that problem, in order to develop long-term solutions.
Systems change thinking comprises mapping out all the relevant stakeholders, the institutions and the economic, social, cultural, political factors that underlie these large structural problems in order to give a full understanding of why the problem persists in order to create a solution.
The new funding themes are:
- Environmental Systems Change – this theme is looking for collaborative and innovative projects that develop long term solutions to systemic environmental problems. Areas of interest include projects that challenge environmental degradation, in particular focusing on biodiversity and species preservation.
- Sustainability Systems Change – this theme is looking for projects that promote sustainable consumption by shifting the way people live, work and connect with others. Areas of interest include urban food systems, plastics, food waste and recycling.
- Health & Wellbeing Systems Change – this theme is looking for projects that address the root causes of social problems that affect people’s health and wellbeing. Areas of interest include solutions that encourage social inclusion, build more resilient communities and promote healthy childhood development.
- Please note that applications for projects that do not meet one of the funding priorities will be considered as long as they meet the general criteria.
Projects must be innovative, creative and original, and be a genuine ‘dream’.
General running costs including ongoing staff costs, utility bills, council tax, rent and insurance that are directly linked with the project are eligible for funding. Costs relating to PR and communications and capital costs are eligible for funding.
How To Apply: Key dates for the next round:
- Stage 1 will open for applications from 2 September 2019 to 15 October 2019 (5:30pm).
- Stage 2 will open for applications from 11 November 2019 to 6 December 2019.
- Stage 3 formal presentations will be made on 20 and 21 January 2020.
- The winning projects will be announced in mid March 2020.
- The Fund has a three stage application process:
