PAVO YSTRADGYNLAIS ROADSHOW COMING SOON

PAVO in partnership with Communities First Ystradgynlais will be holding a roadshow on:

Tuesday 13th March

at the Welfare Hall, Ystradgynlais

2pm - 5pm

Free support is available from specialist staff who can advise you on:

• running your organisation, including trustee, governance and group structures
• finding funding
• making funding applications
• sustainable funding
• thinking about social enterprise
• updates on the planning services for children and young people across the County
• plus much more

So, come along and see what's on offer - we look forward to seeing you.

Further dates will be announced through out the year in other locations around Powys.

VILLAGE SOS SURVEY - TAKE PART TODAY

Here's an opportunity to influence future funding:


Now that the 2 February deadline has passed for full application to the Village SOS Competition we are exploring what users of the online community thought of the Competition, and what your needs are for further funding. 
Your feedback will help us develop any future funding in this area. 
Therefore we would be grateful if you would answer the following short questionnaire. 
Many thanks, 

The Village SOS Team 
Big Lottery Fund


http://www.surveygizmo.co.uk/s3/812221/Village-SOS

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CONFERENCE 2012 - POWYS - DON'T DELAY BOOK TODAY!!

Have you booked your place yet?
Interested in Social Enterprise?  Already trading, but looking to develop further?  Then put March 21st in your diary for the Successful Social Enterprises conference, taking place at the Elephant and Castle Hotel in Newtown.

This will be a day that provides opportunities to network, share lessons, ask questions and dispel some of the myths about social enterprise. 

If you’re in a social enterprise and want to grow your business or a private sector business that want to do business with social enterprise or a community group wanting to undertake trading activity this event is for you. It aims to inform, inspire, and provide potential business opportunities for delegates and exhibitors. 

In addition, a range of exhibition stands will offer advice and funding opportunities as well as examples of some of the very best social enterprise Powys has to offer.

For more information go to: http://www.powysprp.org.uk/en/social-enterprise/index.php or contact Lee Price on 01982 551283.

Village SOS National Conference highlights Powys groups

The Village SOS conference held in Birmingham yesterday was an inspiring and interesting day.  It was great to hear from groups who had the vision, worked hard and achieved their dreams.  Two Powys groups were also highlighted in the main body of the day.  Cwm Trannon were talked about by Peter Crouchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, and Talgarth Mill provided a superb presentation about their project. 


The day provided a really positive outlook for rural community enterprises, as the sector continues to grow, and be sustainable.  A staggering 1.2 million hours have been donated each year just for community shops.  In the last 20 years, out of 284 community shops, only 11 have failed (Plunkett Foundation).  These figures are testament to the tenacity and dynamism within the third sector and communities throughout the UK.


The Village SOS and Plunkett Foundation websites are full of resources if you are thinking of going down the community enterprise route.
Take a look at: www.villagesos.org.uk  and www.plunkett.co.uk   for more information. 


Don't forget, PAVO is here to help and support you.  Phone the help-desk on 0845 009 3288 or e-mail info@pavo.org.uk 

SANTANDER SOCIAL ENTERPRISE EXCHANGE AWARD - DEADLINE IMMINENT

The Santander Social Enterprise Exchange Award aims to support social enterprises that are looking to partner, replicate or share knowledge with other social enterprises in order to grow their social and environmental impact.

The Award is for up to £5,000, and will be presented on the main stage at the Social Enterprise Exchange in Glasgow on 27 March 2012.

The winner and two short-listed entries will receive free access to the Responsible Business Check Up developed by Business in the Community, in partnership with Santander, to evaluate and benchmark corporate responsibility efforts in smaller businesses.

UK-based social enterprises with an annual turnover of no more than £250,000 may apply.

The 2012 deadline for receipt of entries is 7 March 2012.

http://www.socialenterpriseexchange.com/

(Source:  Grantfinder)

NATIONAL LOTTERY AWARDS 2012

The 2012 Awards to celebrate the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects are now open to applications.

The Awards are open to authorised representatives of projects that have received Lottery funding at any time since 1994. The main beneficiaries of the project must be based in the UK.

Entries can be made in the following Award categories:

• Best Arts Project.
• Best Education Project.
• Best Environment Project.
• Best Health Project.
• Best Heritage Project.
• Best Sport Project.
• Best Voluntary/Charity Project.

The winner in each category will receive a cash prize of £2,000, which can be put towards their project.

Winners will be determined by a public vote featuring on a special BBC1 television show in the autumn.

The deadline for entries is 12 March 2012 (noon).

http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/

(Source: Grant Finder)

People Fund - fundraising with a difference

Are you looking for a new way to raise funds for a new project?  Do you use social media to engage your supporters?  Well check out People Fund.  This is a new crowd sourcing website, which brings together community projects and supporters, to help them find the finance, skills and volunteers to get projects off the ground.

It is a really interesting concept.

Go to:  http://www.peoplefund.it/

BARCLAYS COMMUNITY FINANCE FUND

Grants of up to £50,000 are available to Credit Unions and personal finance-focused Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) in the United Kingdom to deliver services over the course of a 12-month period.

Grants will be made to organisations which demonstrate their ability to deliver against one or more of the following objectives of the Fund:

• To improve access to affordable credit to those people on low incomes and living in areas where the need for affordable credit can be demonstrated.
• To increase the existing community finance providers’ capacity to deliver affordable credit to low income consumers and microenterprises or SMEs unable to receive credit elsewhere.
• To provide financial support to credit unions and CDFIs that are starting up, merging or forming partnerships in areas where public access to affordable credit is restricted.
• To support the organisations funded in developing and improving their business services through encouraging voluntary participation by Barclays staff.

Grants may be used for a variety of purposes including (but not limited to) marketing, infrastructure, product development, mergers between businesses and the delivery of financial capability or money advice services.

Beneficiaries must be members of Transact (membership is free) and have been nominated in writing by one of the following:

• An existing or previous funder.
• A provider of in-kind support (for instance, provider of the business’s operating premises such as a local authority or housing association).
• An external evaluator who has previously evaluated the community finance provider.
• A Member of Parliament for the constituency the organisation operates in.
• An employee of Barclays.
• Possible other third parties on agreement with Transact.

The deadline for applications is 1 April 2012.

Go to:  http://transact.org.uk/

(Source:  Grantfinder)

Ben & Jerry’s Join Our Core Competition Launched

Ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s is searching for young, socially responsible entrepreneurs who are creating new models for sustainable business which will help make a difference in communities.

Those aged between 18 and 34 who have a sustainable business model that demonstrate the following are being encouraged to enter the Join Our Core Competition:

• Strong financial sustainability - long-term demand from local people and business for the product or service.
• A positive social impact - the business model leaves society better off for the next generation.
• Environmental awareness - the business ensures the local and global environment is looked after.
• An innovate idea - the approach is substantially different from similar initiatives in the field.

Winners will be assessed in London in spring 2012 and then travel to Uganda in the summer to take part in ten days of social business knowledge sharing and local development projects where they will live and work with local farmers.

The Prize package is as follows:

• Early Birds Prize - The first 100 competition entries will win a year’s supply of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, redeemable at major retailers only for the value of a standard 500ml pint.
• People’s Choice Award - Five winners from the 15 finalists will be chosen via a public vote to receive a People’s Choice Award. Each winner receives a cash prize of €1,000. Winning the People’s Choice Award doesn’t affect the chances of winning the overall Join Our Core competition.
• Winners - There will be five overall winners who will each receive a cash prize of €10,000. Winners will also have their business idea promoted on a tub of Ben & Jerry’s in 2013. The five winners will be chosen, one from each of the countries involved: United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Winners will also receive six months’ mentoring from Ashoka, the company what coined the term ‘social entrepreneur’. The mentoring will be delivered through telephone and online meetings and will look at any challenges facing the business and provide advice to help the business grow and develop.

The prize money can be used to help with the start-up costs associated with launching a new socially aware business operation anywhere in the world.

The early bird deadline for the first 100 applicants is 15 March 2012. The final deadline for submitting competition entries is 15 April 2012.

(Source:  Grantfinder)