The rollout of Essex Frontline – your FREE digital referral and signposting tool – across Mid and South Essex is powering ahead! New referrals from new services are being made and received daily, helping many more people receive support.
We’re still meeting lots of lovely people from brilliant services at our drop-in sessions to learn all about Essex Frontline and what it can offer your service and service users. Here’s the upcoming drop-in dates for September!
So what do people think about Frontline? We’ve got users who have been using Frontline for many years:
“Frontline is the first place I go to if I’m looking for any support for my clients. I have been using the portal for 7 years – it’s a brilliant resource – it certainly makes my job easier!”
Social prescriber, West Essex.
And users who have only been with us for a few weeks:
“I have been using Frontline for the last few weeks as a mental health pharmacist and it is fantastic! I no longer have to send single referrals to our social prescribers because I can do it quite quickly on Frontline which saves a lot of time rather than referring or googling for different services”
Clinical Mental Health Pharmacist, Broxbourne.
We want to see truly local support on Essex Frontline, so if you provide a local health/ wellbeing service in Mid, South or West Essex, please get in touch. Being on the platform gives your service great visibility and makes your referral life so much easier.
If you’re already on Frontline but think we’re missing a service that people desperately need, please tell us!
The Frontline admin team can help set up your service and make the process super simple. So why not come along to a drop-in and see for yourself how Frontline can benefit your service and users?
Applications open Sept 4th 2023. Close 6th Oct 2023
We will let you know if you qualify for the interview round by 6th Nov 2023.
If you haven’t heard anything by 6th Nov, unfortunately your application was unsuccessful on this occasion but good luck with your project.
Interviews will be held on zoom on 30th Nov 2023 for successful applicants
The winner will be announced on 5th Jan 24
Objectives and outcomes
To build happy, strong, resilient communities by supporting grassroots, not-for-profit projects that enable sustainable outcomes in:
Mental health Wellbeing & happiness
Inclusion
Learning and skills development
The fund is intended to help new groups and activities, to be successful. Applicants will need to indicate how the activity/group can become self-sustaining or able to attract funding from other sources in the longer term.
The fund will award £5,000 twice a year – allowing up to two different projects/ charities or CIC’s per year to apply. You cannot re-apply if you have won funding from the Happiness fund in the last 24 months
Essex County Council have launched the small grants element of our new £7.5 million grant scheme, the Essex Public Health Accelerator Bids (PHAB) programme.
Organisations can now apply for a small grant between £500 and £15,000 to deliver a project that aligns closely with the priorities in the new Essex Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities Business Plan. You can read the plan here: Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities business plan.
There is no set deadline for submission of small grants, but this may change depending on the volume of small grant applications we receive.
Essex County Council launched the major grants element of PHAB during the summer, and I am delighted that in Round 1 we received 75 expressions of interest. These have been carefully assessed, and a number have been invited to submit a second stage application. The first major grants will be awarded at the beginning of November. Some expressions of interest have been deferred to seek further clarification and information from applicants. Round 2 of our major grants element opens on Monday 6 November and closes on Friday 1 December.
More information on the PHAB programme, including the link to application forms, is available at: www.essex.gov.uk/phab.
The 2024-2025 V&V Community Grant round is for local ‘not-for-profit’ voluntary or community clubs or organisations based in, and therefore delivering in, Essex, Southend and Thurrock only.
Looking to fund projects working with children/families/young people and young adults (Families must include work with children, young people or young adults aged 0-24 years), that meet the stated aims of the V & V Partnership and can run during April 2024 to 31st December 2025, commencing no later than 1st September 2024.
Projects MUST also evidence they are meeting specific needs as highlighted on an area by area basis by young people in our Listening Project 2022-23. It is essential that you read and reference the Listening Project report as we are keen that the interventions are based on what local young people are telling us they need. https://ecvys.files.wordpress.com/…/vvu-youth-voices…
We would especially like to see some applications for creative work around risk taking behaviours.
Applications open: 17th July 2023
Applications close: 12 noon on 29th September 2023
There are a range of services you might like to recommend to Essex County Council. It could be a parent/carer group, a club designed for children with SEND or places and activities that are fully inclusive and accessible to all. If you and your family value it, let us know. All suggestions are good suggestions!
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support organisations working across Essex, Southend and Thurrock for a wide range of work and projects. These include helping victims of crime, working with young people and informing them about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, gangs and anti-social behaviour, and initiatives that contribute to keeping elderly residents safe in their homes and the wider community.
Previously supported projects included self-defence training for young women, sessions that increase awareness of modern slavery, a programme helping people experiencing homelessness to find accommodation and drama performances in schools that teach students about the dangers of alcohol misuse.
The independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) has managed the High Sheriffs’ Fund since 1997 and since then, grants totalling £700,000 have been given to a wide range of charities. In addition, successive High Sheriffs who have fundraised during their year of office, combined with donations made by Essex Police from the Proceeds of Crime Matched Funding Scheme, have helped to grow the endowed High Sheriffs’ Fund which provides an annual programme of grants.
Andy Payne Worpole, Head of Programmes at ECF, said: “We are delighted to work with successive High Sheriffs to ensure the money they raise tackles important issues at a local level. We also have other charitable funds that can support community safety initiatives so please call our dedicated grants team who will give you support and guidance.”
The deadline for applications is 10 November. Click here to apply or call the grants team on 01245 355947.
********Applications open from 17th July 2023 – 29 September 2023*******
The strategic goal of the V&V Partnership is to reduce serious violence, the harm it causes, and to safeguard those at risk (including to gangs and knife crime). We recognise that local organisations and groups are at the forefront of some amazing work that provides protective factors that seeks to address these issues, the V&V Partnership are keen to support this work as much as it can.
The 2024-2025 V&V Community Grant round is for local ‘not-for-profit’ voluntary or community clubs or organisations based in, and therefore delivering in, Essex, Southend and Thurrock only.
Looking to fund projects that meet the stated aims and can run during April 2024 to 31st December 2025, commencing no later than 1st September 2024.
Groups can apply for up to *£25,000 to deliver support and interventions for children, young people, young adults (aged 0-24 inclusive) and families (families, must include children, young people or young adults aged 0-24). Projects must demonstrate how they have a positive impact through protective factors on issues relating to serious violence.
*The grants funding this year has a potential total pot of £350,000 that the V & V Parternship will look to distribute as evenly as possible across the twelve ECC borough/city/districts areas and Southend and Thurrock. Please bear this in mind when completing your applications.
Projects MUST evidence they are meeting specific needs as highlighted on an area by area basis by young people in our Listening Project 2022-23. It is essential that you read and reference the report as we are keen that the interventions are based on what local young people are telling us they need. https://ecvys.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/vvu-youth-voices-report-2022-2023-final-pdf.pdf
Such as:
Having more trusted adults available for young people to talk to.
Creating safer spaces and youth provision where young people choose to hang out i.e parks, youth clubs, schools (This could be around staff time, new projects, open for longer, activities, lighting outside a community building, etc.)
Support for victims of youth violence and projects that have interventions around knife crime, and building resilience
Building links between voluntary youth provision and schools, eg providing more trusted adults, education specifically around consequences of violence and filming videos of violence for social media, how to stay safe and preventing conflict escalating
More ‘turn up and try’ sports or activities at youth clubs, parks and schools (out of normal school hours)- including self-defence and various other activities
PLEASE NOTE THAT; This is not an exhaustive list. Funding will also be considered for early intervention work that has used the listening report to identify what is needed locally for example some areas mention drugs as an issue that needs addressing but for others work around peer pressure would be more suitable.
We would especially like to see some applications for creative work around risk taking behaviours.
Please do read the listening report and try to evidence the need for your intervention within your application, referencing the report or local needs.
All applications must demonstrate how their project enables children and young people to:-
Make positive choices to keep them safe
Raise self-esteem and confidence
Build resilience
Improve emotional and physical health and mental wellbeing
Build connections with trusted adults
Applicants must also:-
Have a recognised constitution and be one of the following: not-for-profit voluntary or community club or organisation, a registered charity, a not-for-profit company or community interest company or other social enterprise, a company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation or registered society.
Be based in Essex, Southend or Thurrock with at least one year’s full published accounts.
Have support from the local CSP (Community Safety Partnership) for the work you are applying for funding for. (If you do not know who your local CSP is we can provide this information)
If you have any questions about this grant process or to discuss your application please contact Beks Korniej [email protected] or Jim Pearson [email protected]
Timeline of grant process:
Applications open: 17th July 2023
Applications close: 12 noon on 29th September 2023
Completed applications to be submitted online and due diligence and supporting documents to be emailed to:[email protected]AND[email protected]by 12.00 on 29th September 2023
Short-listing, due diligence checks and final panel decisions: between October 2023 to February 2024
Applicants made aware of grant decisions: End of February 2024
Funds delivered: 90% of amount awarded at project start date on or after 1st April 2024. The remaining 10% to be paid during the last 3 months of your funded delivery.
How to Apply:
Check whether your project qualifies and apply online using this link:
This procurement specification seeks to establish a, not for profit, Community Supermarket in Harlow. Priority areas for this procurement are based on the Essex County Council, Levelling-Up geographies, and Working Families priority areas, overlaid with the 2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
It is important that any Community Supermarket is established with the support of local, public, voluntary and community sector partners as well as local-residents and service users.
The Community Supermarket model provides support for individuals who have experienced financial crisis, and who have been supported by Food Banks to regain some financial control. In addition, the model supports individuals and families who fluctuate above and below the line of financial security by providing a consistent point of support to avoid them falling into financial crisis.
Once established, the programme will form a local community asset with the funding from Essex County Council made available to seed fund the development and start-up costs.
DHSC has today launched a £10m Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund for 2023/24 and 2024/25, to support suicide prevention activities delivered in England by non-profit organisations.
The application period is open until 1st October. Applications must be made online via the Find a Grant portal here unless exceptional circumstances apply.
Guidance can be found here, which provides full details of the objectives of the fund, the eligibility criteria, and details on the application process itself.
DHSC will also be holding Meet the Funder webinars for potential applicants, to answer any questions. To sign up, please could applicants email [email protected]