The October Club

Open or will open again Active citizenship Addiction and substance misuse Adult Education/Learning Advice services Age Age discrimination Aged 26 - 59 years Aged 60+ Animal Welfare Archives and artefacts Arts, culture and heritage Black and minority ethnic Buildings and built environment Built heritage Children (0-12) Communities Community and neighbourhood development Community development Community safety and crime prevention Craft and design Cross community Cultural heritage Cultural, events and festivals Democracy and freedom Dependants and carers Education and learning environment Faith and religion Family and parenting Gender equality and sexual orientation good relations Governance and charity law Health promotion Health, wellbeing and sport Healthcare services Housing and homelessness Human rights and equality Human rights and justice Information Technology Medical conditions Medical research Miscellaneous Monitoring and evaluation Multiculturalism Natural environment and climate Offenders and ex-offenders Organisational dev Great Britain Northern Ireland Large (over £60,000)

Track grant Notes

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Overview

The three rules...

1) They fund small and growing charities with voluntary income of between £500,000 and £2.5m per annum.

Every applicant must demonstrate that they meet the voluntary income criteria, which stands at greater than £500,000 but less than £2,500,000 per annum. Please refer to the guidance notes with the application form for our definition of voluntary income.

An application where the charity does not meet the voluntary income requirement is likely to be dismissed at the first selection meeting, and will not receive feedback beyond “does not meet the funding criteria”. A charity may get in touch to explain and demonstrate an anomaly in the voluntary funding for that particular year. For example, a ring-fenced donation or a timing technicality. In such a circumstance, the application may be considered, though the chances being taken forward to the second selection meeting are reduced.

2) The funding is for a TRANSFORMATIONAL project based across several UK regions.

The nature of the transformational project could involve a few small steps that, combined, will have a big impact, or could be just one step. It is important that the charity can demonstrate that the project is deliverable, both in terms of financial and staffing capability. It doesn’t work if the “transformational project” appears to have been made up for the sake of the application!

3) The funds must be used within 3 years.

The general expectation is that the funding will be used over the course of those three years, and will provide a stepping stone to further growth in its own right. Furthermore, the Club will often continue to add value beyond pure financing during that period. This may include access to a network of advisors and influential people, supporting, guiding and advising the charity as it grows.

Please note:

The charities that they support are typically UK based, doing remarkable work with the ambition to extend this and normally not in the same field as their beneficiaries of the previous two years. There are no particular causes they fund or avoid. All are welcome to apply as long as you meet the criteria stated.

They support one charity per year and while they cannot guarantee a figure the average amount raised in recent years has been £500k.

If you have any questions for the committee or any queries/concerns you would like to discuss regarding the criteria please email enquiries@octoberclub.com.

See here for all charities previously helped

Track grant Notes