NHSBT: Community Grants
Overview
The programme builds upon the success of the Community Investment Scheme and funds community and faith/beliefs organisations to drive awareness, understanding and behaviour change. We know that trusted local organisations can be effective at achieving these goals due to their specialist knowledge, understanding and footprint in the community and we are seeking innovative ideas to support and provide sustainable and scalable investment to.
In its latest round of funding the programme has broadened its scope to cover a range of health inequalities.
- Blood donation – Total funding pot: £300,000 (projects engaging Black African and Caribbean communities only)
- Deceased organ donation – Total funding pot: £150,000
- Living kidney donation – Total funding pot: £150,000
- Stem cell donation – Total funding pot: £100,000
- Combined blood and deceased organ donation – funded using a combination of the above. The blood element of the project must focus on Black African and Caribbean communities
Why is the programme needed?
Ethnicity is a multidimensional concept with many links to health. The Community Grants Programme will help tackle some of the health inequalities affecting people from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds.
It aims to address the shortage of Black blood donors whose blood is used to treat conditions like sickle cell, the shortage of ethnically matched organs for those waiting for a transplant in all Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities, and the need for ethnically matched stem cell donors.
Establishing and building trust in these communities is key. Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and research shows they are less likely to view government policies in a positive light or trust government messages.
Through the Community Grants Programme, we look to work with grassroots organisations to engage, educate and recruit more donors as clinical data shows that ethnically matched blood, organs and stem cells provide the best treatment. Successful organisations will have the opportunity to apply for sustainable multi-year investment funding after 12 months to deepen or scale their work.
They want to work with trusted and authentic voices in the community to deliver these messages and make a real change for those whose lives will be improved or saved by donation.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to organisations. These could include registered charities, limited companies, charitable incorporated organisations, community interest companies, or unincorporated groups.
Bidding organisations are required to provide details of their organisation in the application form. If planning to work with partner organisations, applicants must outline this in the “partners” section of the application form.
What can be funded?
The focus of the proposed projects must to be one of the following:
Deceased organ donation
They encourage applications from all ethnic minority communities to raise awareness of, and participation in deceased donation. Other forms of organ donation may be referenced in applications, but the focus must be on deceased organ donation.
Blood donation
Due to clinical need, they only fund applications for projects focusing on the Black African and/or Black Caribbean communities.
A combination of deceased organ and blood donation
They accept applications jointly covering deceased organ donation and blood donation from all ethnic minority communities, but the blood element of any project must focus on engaging the Black African and/or the Black Caribbean communities and must be carried out in England.
Living kidney donation
They encourage applications from all minority ethnic communities to raise awareness of, and participation in living kidney donation.
Stem cell donation
They encourage applications from all minority ethnic communities to raise awareness of, and participation in stem cell donation.
Funding
Applicants can apply for the following funding bands. Please note the restrictions associated with the highest band.
Funds between £1 and £2,499
Organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, stem cell donation, living kidney donation, deceased organ donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects can apply for this funding band.
Funds between £2,500 - £10,000
Organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, stem cell donation, living kidney donation, deceased organ donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects can apply for this funding band.
Funds between £10,001 and £20,000
Organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, stem cell donation, living kidney donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects can apply for this funding band.
Projects focused only on deceased organ donation cannot apply for this funding band.
Organisations applying for funding at this band must have previous experience of working with either a government department (ministerial or non-ministerial) or a public body e.g. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), NHS England etc. Applicants must be able to show the impact achieved through these partnerships.
Additional information
Please note that all activity around blood donation must be aimed at the Black African and Black Caribbean communities and must be carried out in England.
Please also note that your budget outline should be inclusive of unrecoverable VAT.
Applicants should also make clear in their application if they are applying for money from any other sources e.g. match funding, and should think carefully about the areas that they are requesting funding for, as these grants are funded by taxpayers. Any travel costs for people to attend events would need to be standard class travel.
If applicants intend to use funds to employ a post or contribute towards staffing costs, NHSBT will not undertake any employment liability for these posts. All liability remains with the applying organisation.