Motability: Travelling with Confidence Grant Programme
Overview
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:
- Policy and practice
- Improved attitudes
- Travel training
- Better Tools
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
About the programme
A growing number of large and small charities are now providing travel training schemes.
Through their new Travelling with Confidence Grant Programme they will help them, and travel providers, to make an immediate impact for disabled people.
Examples of grant funding from this programme could include (but are not limited to):
- Grants to improve awareness of responsibilities and influence policy and practice in the transport sector
- Funding to embed a user-led approach to inclusive design and delivery of transport services
- Grants to scale, promote awareness of, and increase access to, travel training programmes that increase skills, knowledge, confidence, choice and control when travelling
- Grants to support the development of accessible tools and technology solutions that support journey planning and in-journey navigation
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 Travelling with Confidence Grant Programme.
Grant Value
- Minimum - £100,000
- Maximum - £1,500,000
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 that improves the information, support, and assistance available to disabled people using public transport.
- Activity that supports disabled people to have better journeys through increased confidence, resilience, and training.
- 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.
- Local, regional, or national initiatives to increase awareness of active travel and influence its inclusion in transport strategy and policy.
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?
Motability 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.