SNG (Sovereign Network Group) is committed to improving customers’ wellbeing and developing thriving and resilient communities. Our Thriving Communities fund is aimed at supporting not-for-profit groups and organisations to deliver cohesive, sustainable, and resilient communities which people are proud to be a part of.
The fund will launch in July offering grants from £1,000 up to £5,000 for initiatives and projects that actively support SNG communities across a broad range of themes, particularly those focusing on youth, health and well-being, ageing-well, social inclusion and isolation (including EDI), environment & place, customer voice, employment support, food insecurity, digital inclusion and skills, money matters and debt advice.
Our funding will prioritise groups that operate within communities where we have homes and whose work will directly benefit our customers.
SNG (Sovereign Network Group) is a leading housing association, striving to provide quality, affordable homes and places, that people love for generations.
We have deep roots in the south of England, with over 82,000 homes focused in a core area covering Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, London, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight, the West of England and Wiltshire.
We’re driven by our social purpose, with customers at the heart of everything we do. We build homes and provide great services, but our work doesn’t stop at the front door – we invest for the long-term, creating great places to live, working with customers and partners to support them in realising their potential. Read more about who we are.
To apply for this fund, you must be a local not-for-profit group, community organisation, or registered charity and you must be able to demonstrate how you will engage with and benefit SNG customers. Please note, funding will be limited to one project per organisation.
Our fund will be split into six distinct regions across the South of England. Below you will find a list of specific areas within these regions where SNG operates. Please use this a guide to check your eligibility.
Region 1 - Surrey, Hampshire and Isle of Wight (IOW)
- Basingstoke & Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Guildford, Hart, IOW, New Forest, Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Southampton, Test Valley, Winchester
Region 2 – Basingstoke, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), and Dorset
- Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset, Poole, Purbeck, West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland
Region 3 - South West (Devon, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucester)
- Bath & NE Somerset, Bristol, Cheltenham, Cornwall, Cotswolds, Deane, East Devon, Exeter, Gloucester City, Mendip, Mid Devon, North Somerset, Plymouth, Sedgemoor, South Gloucester, South Hams, South Somerset, Stroud, Taunton, Teignbridge, Tewksbury, Torbay, Torridge D C, West Devon, West Somerset
Region 4- Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire
- Bracknell Forest, Cherwell, Oxford, Reading, Slough, Slough Berks, South Buckinghamshire, South Oxfordshire, Swindon, Vale of White Horse, West Berkshire, West Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
Region 5 - East Hertfordshire
- East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, Mid Bedfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage council, Three Rivers, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield
Region 6 – London
- Barnet, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
For more details, please view the map of SNG homes which shows our properties by location, across local authorities.
If you have a potential project within these areas but you would like more information about the location of our communities, get in touch with us at - grants@sovereign.org.uk
The following organisations are not eligible:
- Private Businesses
- Organisations set up as trusts (including charitable trusts)
- Individuals
We are also not able to support the following:
- National appeals
- Activities which are of a wholly and exclusively political or religious nature, or organisations supporting political activism
- Retrospective funding of activities/projects/equipment
At the point of applying, you will be required to provide data about your organisation, including your charity/company number (where applicable, or equivalent) and contact details.
If your project is successful, you will also need to provide additional organisational data, including additional contact details and banking information. Please note, informal organisations without their own bank account must be fiscally hosted by a trusted (registered) non-profit.
We will support a broad range of activities as long as they meet our key eligibility criteria and can demonstrate how SNG communities will benefit as a result of the activities. We particularly welcome projects that focus on:
Youth
- Projects that encourage and support young people to steer initiatives, achieve their aspirations and transition from where they are to where they want to be.
Health and well-being
- Projects that help to create communities where people can feel well and live well. This includes projects providing specialised mental health support, or those improving the health of communities through exercise, grassroots sports and other activities.
Ageing well
- Projects that invest in the development of more inclusive and age friendly communities that respond to the needs of its population and aim to improve quality of life.
Social Inclusion and isolation, including equality and diversity
- Projects that promote equal opportunities, enhance participation and create a positive culture and sense of belonging.
Environment and place
- Projects that foster lasting place-based improvements in local communities, support local nature recovery or galvanise community action on climate and nature.
Customer voice
- Projects that create spaces where people’s voices can be heard and empower them to influence, take action and make a difference within their community. This can be SNG customers, people who use your services or attend your events or volunteers for your group or organisations–anything that gets people actively changing their community for the better!
Employment support
- Projects that increase employment and training opportunities, including accessing work, better work and vocational qualifications. This could be particularly targeted at individuals who typically experience barriers to employment.
Food insecurity
- Projects that provide access to food for those in financial hardship or support the work of grassroots food initiatives.
Digital inclusion and skills
- Projects that focus on increasing access to digital skills, equipment, and connectivity.
Money matters and debt advice
- Projects that focus on developing financial skills, increasing income and reducing debt for those in financial hardship.
Priority will be given to applications that can clearly demonstrate their objectives, the outcomes that their project will achieve and the difference that will be made by their project as a whole. We want to see how your organisation’s work will have a positive and long-lasting impact on the local community.
We particularly encourage projects that centre around community cohesion and social inclusion, and those working with diverse, marginalised or vulnerable groups.
We will fund capital/equipment costs up to 25% of your total project budget and core running costs up to 10% of your total project budget. Please see the “how to apply” section for more guidance on putting together your project budget.
To apply for funding, you will need to register your project on the ActionFunder website. ActionFunder is a digital community engagement platform that connects funding bodies with non-profits with the goal of supporting thriving local communities. By launching your project on ActionFunder, you will have the potential to match with multiple different funding pots, not just our Thriving Communities Fund.
When registering your project, you will be asked for the following information, so please have this on hand when starting your application:
The pitch
The first section of the application is where you will identify why your project is needed and what you intend to deliver. You have the option to provide this information in written form or submit a video pitch describing your project idea, why it is needed and why you are best placed to deliver.
For written applications, you will be asked to answer the following three questions:
1. Problem statement
Your problem statement should identify the issues or barriers that your community faces and why your project is needed. Using quotes and statistics can help us understand the specific needs of your community.
Example:
Food insecurity is becoming increasingly common across the UK with the Trussell Trust reporting that 3.1 million emergency food parcels were distributed by their food banks in the last 12 months, nearly double the number compared to five years ago. In Brent, where this project is based, 36% of all children live below the poverty line (Trust for London) and may lack access to good, nutritious food. Whilst at school, children can access free school meals, however, during school holidays many parents struggle to fill this gap. This is an issue that directly impacts customers in SNG communities; we have received feedback from talking to community centres and other local organisations that there has been increasing reliance on food banks in the area.
One resident said: “I often have to make difficult decisions during the holidays. Having to provide an additional meal for my children every day means making sacrifices in other areas.”
Our community garden will seek to address these issues by providing local schools with seasonal produce to make family meal kits during school holidays, and running educational workshops tin schools to give children and young people the tools to understand why good food matters and empower them to utilise this knowledge in cooking and growing food.
2. Solution
This answer should summarise your project idea and key outputs. By reading this, you should be able to understand what exactly the applicant intends to deliver.
Example:
Our project will deliver two key outputs. The first is providing our network of local schools with produce from our community garden. This will be used to make meal kits for families over the school holidays. We have partnered with four primary schools across the borough to take part in the project whose kitchen staff have agreed to help us create the meal kits. We will source other ingredients that we cannot grow from trusted local suppliers. The second part of the project is to go into these schools to deliver growing and cooking workshops with students to educate them about where food comes from and how we can grow nutritious and tasty food in small urban spaces. We aim to deliver 4 half-day workshops across the course of the year at each school.
3. Why are we best placed to deliver?
Here you should tell us why your organisation will be able to deliver this project well. Do you have specific relevant experience? A team of volunteers? Any relevant qualifications?
Example:
We have been an established community garden for 3 years and have built a strong volunteer base to support our work. Our team of volunteers help to ensure that we continually produce high quality ingredients and engage positively with community stakeholders. We have four key part-time staff members who are experts in food growing and community outreach who will deliver project activities. The staff members who will deliver the workshops have previous experience working with young people.
Delivery plan
The second section of the application is where you provide more detailed information about how much your project will cost and what the impact of your activities will be.
1. Budget breakdown
This section is for you to record your project budget. Whilst we are looking for budgets to represent good value for money, we also want them to be realistic. It is important to know exactly how much you will need to carry out your activities effectively, and not underestimate costs, as this can lead to long-term financial problems and can impact project delivery.
What we will fund:
- Overheads/core running costs (as long as they form 10% or less of your total budget)
- Capital/equipment costs (as long as they form 25% or less of your total budget)
- Staff costs
- Marketing and engagement costs
What we will not fund:
- Expenditure not clearly linked to project activities
- Items that do not appear to have been costed
- Activities that fall outside of your delivery timeframe
Example:
Total budget: £3,056
Breakdown of costs:
- Staff costs for preparation and delivery of 4 half-day workshops @ £15 per hour (total 40 hours) - £600
- Additional ingredients for meal kits @ £10 per kit (total of 175 kits based on identified need) - £1,750
- Subsistence and travel for volunteers @ £12 each per day - £360
- 2 x standard DBS certificate renewal @ £23 each - £46
- Core running costs including contribution to rent (10% of project total) - £300
2. Beneficiaries
Here please specify the total number of beneficiaries you will engage with during your project. You will then have the option to choose specific groups from a multiple-choice list below.
3. Expected impact
This answer should explain what impact you hope to achieve from your activities. Try to link this back to your problem statement where possible.
Example:
By providing schools with meal kits to use over the school holidays that are healthy, nutritious, and made in sustainable way, we will alleviate a significant stress for parents who are struggling to keep up with rising food costs. This will support families living in SNG communities who are impacted by this issue.
By delivering additional workshops for students, we hope to educate young people about the work we do, inspire them to think differently about food and give them new skills in cooking and growing that they can take with them. The project will also promote local food networks and bring together different community stakeholders. We will evaluate our progress by keeping track of how many meal kits we deliver and getting feedback from participants in the workshops.
We expect to be able to directly support 100 families with meal kits and a further 200 students through our educational workshops.
4. Track record
This is an opportunity to give us additional details about what your organisation has previously delivered and could include quotes from previous beneficiaries or partners.
Example:
In the three years that we have been established we have developed a team of 20+ regular volunteers and have become a key part of the local community landscape. Please see below for quotes from volunteers and partners:
“We worked with the garden to deliver a series of volunteer days for our staff. They were organised, approachable and gave our staff members an unforgettable experience.”
“I have been a volunteer at the garden for six months and I have already learnt so many new things about local food growing. I feel part of the community and have loved meeting new people.”
Here are some of our top tips to consider when completing your application:
Do you meet the eligibility criteria?
- Your application will not be considered if you do not meet the key eligibility criteria listed above. Please carefully consider if you are eligible to apply before submitting your application. If you are unsure, please don’t hesitate to contact us at grants@sng.org.uk.
Pay close attention to your budget
- One of the main reasons that funding applications are unsuccessful is due to poor budgeting. Above we identify the things we will and won’t fund, please read these carefully before producing your project budget. It is good practice to plan your budget for the whole year and get quotes for all the items included. The more detail you can include the better, but we also understand that some things may change over the course of your project and will work closely with you to resolve any issues that arise.
Evidencing need and linking to SNG communities
- We want to know how the money they provide will make a positive difference. Using statistics, quotes and other testimonies can help bring your application to life and showcase why you are best placed to deliver the project. This can be figures to show why the project is needed in your community (through using local surveys, council websites, Government reports) or through testimonies of how your previous work has benefited the community.
- Particularly important for this fund is demonstrating how your activities will directly benefit SNG communities. This means understanding whether we manage homes in the area your project takes place in, and if so, how your project can offer support to local customers. See where our homes are here.
Be clear and concise in your language
- Try to avoid using complex jargon and abbreviations. If you are submitting a written application, keep your writing concise and stick to the key details of your organisation and project. It can be helpful to share a draft with someone who doesn’t know about your project to see if they understand what you are aiming to achieve. If you would prefer to submit a video application, you can do this via the ActionFunder platform.
Embed sustainability
- We want to ensure that funding has a long-lasting impact, so we recommend embedding sustainability into your project design. For an environment and place project, this may look like incorporating maintenance costs into your project budget. For a project focusing on employment support, this could include providing training qualifications or electronic devices for long-term use.
Consider how you will monitor and evaluate progress
- It is important to read over what will be expected of you in terms of reporting on your project and incorporate this into your project model to save you time and difficulty later (see more details regarding reporting expectations below). Consider how you will track financial information as well as other key project data both numerical and qualitative.
Grants from £1,000 to £5,000 with the fund operating on a rolling basis. All projects should be fully delivered within 12 months or receiving funding.
All projects that meet the criteria set out above will be reviewed and assessed by an expert panel to determine which projects will be offered funding. If your project does not meet the eligibility criteria, it may be rejected before the panel meeting, and you will receive a notification of this via ActionFunder.
We may request further information from you following the panel discussion, and in some cases, may encourage you to reapply for funding with amendments to your project.
Applications will be considered on six-week rolling basis. We will focus on ensuring funding is distributed equitably, particularly in terms of geographic location and types of beneficiaries.
Should we offer you funding, you will have the opportunity to accept or reject the grant via the ActionFunder platform. Before a payment can be approved and released to the applicant, all checks will need to be completed in respect of relevant permissions, policies, and insurances.
We will provide feedback to all shortlisted applicants who are unsuccessful at the panel. Please note, we will be unable to provide feedback for applicants do not progress to the shortlist for panel.
By uploading your project to ActionFunder, you consent to ActionFunder’s terms and conditions which allows for the material you upload to be used for marketing and promotional purposes by both SNG and ActionFunder. Please read ActionFunder’s terms of use for more information.
Successful applicants must acknowledge financial support of SNG in its documentation and publicity material by following our communications protocol and brand guidelines. To see a copy of these please email grants@sng.org.uk.