Motability: Reducing Barriers to Driving Grant Programme
Overview
Through this grant programme they hope to help charities and organisations to make an immediate impact by awarding funding to reduce the barriers disabled people face around driving. Through an extensive programme of research and engagement the Motability Foundation has identified four Routes to Impact in this area which they are seeking to support with grant funding. These Routes to Impact are:
- Greater awareness
- Improved driving skills and confidence
- Better access to adaptations/equipment
- Improved access to vehicles
They believe that targeted support in these areas has the greatest chance of delivering meaningful change for disabled people, and supporting Motability’s key outcomes of:
- Access – Increased ability to access people and places using transport
- Choice and Control – Improved independence and control to make decisions
- Connect – Increased social connections and relationships
- Education – Increased ability to access education and training
- Work – Increased ability to work and pursue a career
- Wellbeing – Improved sense of health and wellbeing
These Routes to Impact have been developed following an extensive programme of research and stakeholder engagement across the sector.
About the programme
Through their Reducing Barriers to Driving Grant Programme, they help charities and organisations to improve and expand private transport options for disabled people and their families beyond the Motability Scheme.
Examples of grant funding from this programme could include (but is not limited to):
- Funding to raise awareness of driving as an option and of the support and adaptations that are available.
- Grants to expand the provision of driving and familiarisation lessons, and increase the number of instructors delivering lessons with adaptations.
- Funding to organisations to help reduce the cost barriers around access to vehicles and adaptations.
What funding is available?
The Motability Foundation is awarding £50 million in Grants to Charities and Organisations during the next financial years ending March 2025.
A portion of this has been allocated to the Reducing Barriers to Driving Grant Programme.
Grant Value
- Minimum - £50,000
- Maximum - £3,000,000
Grant length
You can apply for one, two or three years’ funding in any year of the programme. For example, you could apply for £102,000 in total over three years, which would be £34,000 per annum.
They are pleased to say the final payment date can be beyond 31 March 2025 this can be split over one, two or three years and can be applied for in any year of the programme.
What can be funded?
- Activity which reduces or mitigates barriers to driving experienced by disabled people, without replicating the support offered by the Motability Scheme. Example outputs can be found in the routes to impact on page 3 of Guidance.
- Continuation funding for schemes, programmes and initiatives that already exist, and who provide best practice solutions, but need further support to remain operational or scale up the service they can provide to help more disabled people.
- Staff or volunteer training and costs.
- Full cost recovery grants which includes indirect costs.
Priority will be given to organisations who:
- Have well-established ways of working that make a demonstrable difference to the lives of disabled people.
- Are making both an immediate and longer term impact on the lives of disabled people.
- Are providing solutions to the challenges set out in the routes to impact.
- Can demonstrate that their application takes into account the views and needs of their beneficiaries and they will continue to be involved during the delivery of the work
Who can apply?
The Motability Foundation wants to support medium or large charities and organisations with well-established ways of working.
They ask that applicant organisations meet the following criteria:
- You are an incorporated organisation, overseen by, and subject to the rules of a regulator such as the Charity Commission, or Companies House. Organisations should have a charitable purpose.
- You have been active for at least three years.
- You have had an annual income of at least £150,000 per annum over the last three years.
- You hold free reserves equivalent to at least three months of operating costs. Please contact them before applying if you do not hold three months of free reserves. The Motability Foundation will not generally award a Grant to Charities or Organisations holding more than 12 months of operating expenditure in reserves.