Find out about Funding Central a smart guide to over 4000 grants, contracts and loans
Launched on the 17th June 2009 by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and The Office for the Third Sector (OTS), Funding Central (www.fundingcentral.org.uk) is a free website for comprehensive information about national, local and regional government funding, national local or regional charitable funding and EU funding.
The website offers voluntary, community organisations and social enterprises funding advice through a wealth of tools and resources. The six featured area are:
- Grants – users can access guidance on applying for grants along with advice on managing a relationship with a funder.
- Contracts – users can access advice on how to tender and negotiate contracts and download tools to help them assess risk and benefits.
- Loan finance – provides users with an opportunity to explore the benefits of loan finance.
- Managing your finance – provides users with an understanding of the importance of financial management and offers practical guides and tools.
- Planning your future needs – users explore the key stages of developing and implementing a plan, defining and assessing outcomes.
- Infrastructure support – users will find tools and resources specifically designed to increase the capacity and capability of infrastructure agencies.
Each area provides users with best practice tips and advice, easy-to-use guides, practical toolkits, and case studies.
In September 2009 two further sections; Find a partner and Funder zone will be launched.
Find a partner section will enable users to create an online profile, describe their activities and share their experiences of applying for funding or loan finance. They will then be able to share their experiences by making their profile searchable. It is anticipated that this will promote collaborative working by allowing organisations to search for potential organisation with which they could develop joint projects and bids.
Funder zone section will be password-protected and will enable funders to; view activity on Funding Central that relates to their programmes; request to edit information about their programmes; share information and hints and tips about their programmes.
The News and events section is a source of news and information providing funding updates, training and events and funding deadlines.
Visit www.fundingcentral.org.uk to find out more about Funding Central and to get invovled.