The Big Lottery Fund has announced a new round of Village SOS funding totalling £4million to support rural community enterprises across the UK. Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 will be available for projects in rural villages or small rural towns with fewer than 3,000 people. Voluntary and community groups or organisations are eligible to apply, as are parish, town or community councils, provided local residents have clearly shaped the project. The deadline for applications is 12 September.

The Canoe Foundation makes awards to groups to promote canoeing ventures for young and/or disabled people. They will fund equipment which can be used by a range of individuals, but won't fund revenue costs such as salaries, transport, or pool hire. Most grants are awarded through the Charity's Small Grants Panel which meets four times a year. The maximum grant awarded by them is usually £2,000, although in special cases this can be increased to £2,500.

The North Face Explore Fund supports organisations that encourage youth outdoor participation, focusing primarily on creating more connections of children to nature, increasing access to both front and backcountry recreation, as well as providing education for both personal and environmental health. Financial support will be given up to €2,500. The deadline for applications is 2 July 2012. http://explorefund.eu/

The Children & Young People Now Awards are open for entries. The awards are now in their seventh year, and entries are invited from across the public, voluntary and private sectors. As ever, the work entered must be able to demonstrate its impact. Awards are available across 19 categories.
Entry is free and the deadline to enter is 29 June.  http://www.cypnawards.com/

The second round of the Homelessness Transition Fund is now open. Funding is available for projects that prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping in England. The Main Grants are for frontline services rolling out ‘No Second Night Out' and other initiatives and offer funding of up to £200k over two years. The Small Grants are for organisational development and offer funding of up to £25k over one year.

Comic Relief awards grants for proects that will benefit refugees, the young, the elderly and the disadvantaged in a wide variety of relevant fields across the UK. Grants on average vary between £25,000 and £40,000 and rarely exceed the upper limit. The 2012 deadlines aree 12pm on 8 June for Sport for Change and 12pm on 29 June for: Young people and mental health; Sexually exploited and trafficked young people; Domestic and sexual abuse; Mental health; Young people and alcohol; Refugee and asylum-seeking women.

The Peter Cruddas Foundation aims to benefit disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the UK. The Foundation gives priority to programmes designed to help disadvantaged young people to pursue their education (including vocational) and more generally develop their potential whether through sport or recreation, voluntary programmes or otherwise.

http://www.thepetercruddasfoundation.org/

The Hedley Foundation is a charitable foundation which supports young people, disabled people and the terminally ill.  Currently about 70% of their budget goes to young people. Few grants exceed £5,000 and most go to charities where they can make an impact. They do not support large or national appeals. The Trustees meet six times a year. The closing date for a meeting is three weeks beforehand. The next meeting dates for 2012 are: 18 July; 26 September; 21 November.
http://www.hedleyfoundation.org.uk/

The Cabinet Office and Nesta have announced the second round of the £10 million Innovation in Giving Fund, which aims to find and back innovative ideas for increasing levels of volunteering and charitable giving. The second round will include a search for established charities that want to use their expertise, networks, assets and capabilities to find new ways to engage people in giving. Approximately 10 charities will be selected to receive a share of £1.5 million.

 The Peter Cruddas Foundation aims to benefit disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the UK. The Foundation gives priority to programmes designed to help disadvantaged young people to pursue their education (including vocational) and more generally develop their potential whether through sport or recreation, voluntary programmes or otherwise. http://www.thepetercruddasfoundation.org/