The Home Instead Bring Joy Foundation

Overview

Funding Criteria

Over the past year Bring Joy Foundation has been reviewing its grant making programme. They have developed new guidelines for applications and criteria that you must fulfil to be eligible to apply for a grant.

These are:

• They will give priority to applications that have a connection to, and are championed by, a local Home Instead office.
• If you are a small grass roots organisation you can apply for funding up to £500.
• If you are a small local registered charity you can apply for funding up to £1,500. Larger grants can be considered for exceptional projects.
• Most of your group members must be over 55 years old or the project you are requesting funding for must benefit people aged over 55
• The project must support its members through activities and projects that support wellbeing or reduce social isolation and/or loneliness
• Your group must be open and inclusive irrespective of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation
• They will only fund individuals if it is to provide access to your group, i.e. transport costs or communications devices to access your groups activities.
• They will only fully fund grant requests from organisations who hold no more than 3 months operating costs in reserve. If you have more than this, the charity will only co-fund your project up to a maximum 50% of the funding required.
• They will consider applications from groups, associations and charities that do not service the over 50s directly but the project they require funding for does, i.e. a local school wishes to hold a special afternoon tea for its local care home residents.
• If you are a registered charity your application must be accompanied by a copy of your constitution and annual accounts.

Please bear in mind they are a small charity with limited resource. Funding is limited and so they will prioritise those applications that are championed by a local Home Instead Office. If you do not have a current connection, they will work with you and your local Home Instead Office to raise the funds that you need but this may take more time. Please build this into your funding timescales as it could take up to 6 months.

They aim to fulfil all eligible requests for funding, but limited resources means that this may not be possible.

What they can fund:

• Regular weekly or monthly events and activities such as weekly cinema club, weekly knit and natter or Thursday lunch club
• One off activities such as a day trip or a Christmas lunch
• Activities such as yoga or a guest speaker for your group such as a local historian

You group MUST have a bank account in the name of the Group you are applying for funding under.