Alec Dickson Trust

Overview

Youth volunteering has an important role to play as part of society’s response to helping communities in need. This programme supports young people to volunteer.

The Trust welcomes applications of up to £500 from UK-based volunteering or community service projects, organised and run by people under 30 years old.

What they fund

If you’re thinking of applying, your project should:

• Be run by a young volunteer, or team of young volunteers
• Take place in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
• Have a clear benefit to others in the wider community
• Most importantly, your project should encourage volunteering. The more volunteers you can get involved, the better!

They also love innovative projects. If you’re doing something that you’ve noticed a real need for in the community or something that hasn’t been done before, they want to hear from you!

For them, volunteering is an activity which isn’t for the benefit of the person volunteering and is intended to benefit others. There is no financial gain involved for the volunteer.

Doing something for free (or not being paid) isn’t the same as volunteering!

For example, someone might sing in a choir and not get paid, but they do it because they enjoy it. This doesn’t fit with their definition of volunteering. However, if that person decides to use the choir for something which will have a positive impact on others, such as taking the choir on a tour of local care homes or children’s hospitals, then that could be considered to be volunteering.

The Alec Dickson Trust only funds projects run by volunteers; and they particularly favour projects that promote and encourage volunteering among young people.

Who do they fund

They provide grants of up to £500 to individuals or groups of young people aged 30 or under, to help them put their ideas into action and run projects that benefit the lives of others – particularly the most marginalised and disadvantaged.

They ask applicants to provide a detailed budget for their funding project as part of their application, with a breakdown of exactly how you intend to spend the money.

When they assess projects, they’re looking for:

Volunteering

They support projects that support and encourage youth volunteering. They particularly like to fund projects that involve lots of volunteers, and/or encourage these young people to stay engaged as volunteers in the long term.

Need

They support young people who run projects that have a positive impact on disadvantaged communities and individuals. They’re looking for projects that identify a specific need, and propose to carry out activities that will clearly help to address this need. They’re particularly interested in projects that will have a deep and meaningful effect on those it reaches, as well as projects that are as long-lasting and sustainable as possible.

Innovation

Ultimately they’re looking for youth volunteering projects that help to improve communities, but if the project is new and exciting then even better! They particularly like to fund volunteer initiatives that are innovative and try to do things a bit differently, such as using social media creatively or using existing resources in new ways.

Their Top Tips for Fundraising Applicants

• DO read the What they fund (and what they don’t!) section and make sure your project fits what the Trust funds, before starting to write your application.
• DO give a detailed budget breakdown as part of your application (maximum £500) and take note of the things they won’t usually fund.
• DO take time to explain how your project will make a difference, and what problem it addresses.
• DO give details of who volunteers are, their roles, and how old they are, as part of your application.
• DO be creative - they love to hear innovative new ways that young people are tackling real issues in their communities.
• DO fill in all sections of the application form fully please! Incomplete applications slow down the process as they are likely to need to contact you with additional questions, and some incomplete applications may not be considered at all.
• DO provide a referee who you know in a professional capacity, but who isn’t part of the volunteer project.
• DO ensure you are able to run a project without any technical/compliance/regulation issues (e.g. consider what qualification or checks you might need, such as CRB checks to work with children).
• DO send them your story or an update if you were awarded funding by the Trust. They’d love to hear how your project panned out, and if there are plans to repeat or develop it in the future.
• DON’T submit an application form with sections missing or incomplete.
• DON’T expect to hear back about your application within a few weeks. Trustees meet only four times a year, and it takes time after each meeting to contact each applicant and issue funding to successful projects. Unfortunately, they do not have the capacity to deal with last minute or urgent requests for funding.
• DON’T apply for funding for a project that is overseas. They only fund UK-based projects.
• DON’T apply for funding if you’re aged over 30, or the project is run by a group aged over 30. Your application will not be considered.
• DON’T apply too often. They will not fund the same person, or project, more than twice within any 12 month (rolling) period.
• DO keep volunteering your time and energy, to do brilliant things for your community and the people around you. You make the world a better place!