• Funding support for local groups

    Practical guidance to help your ideas take shape and move forward.

    A group of six adults sits around a table in a bright room, engaged in discussion with papers, notebooks, and mugs in front of them. One man is using a laptop whilst others listen and take notes.

Funding training

How to successfully apply for funding

Our specialist training will take you on a journey from identifying funders to submitting a successful application.

Whether you’re only looking for a small grant or seeking funding for a major project, we can help. Our funding experts will talk you through how to identify the right source of funding for your group and how to increase your chances of making a winning application.

Keeping up to date with the latest funds

Our monthly Funding Bulletin keeps you in touch with new and ongoing funding sources, emailed straight to your inbox. 1 in 3 subscribers have applied to funding they’ve found out about in the newsletter.

Register here for the Funding Bulletin or any of our other newsletters.

Funding resources

Whether you’re new to securing funding or fundraising, or an old hand, we have a wealth of resources to help you get that grant. From our Funding Toolkit and getting funding ready, to writing successful applications and setting up lotteries, raffles and tombolas – there’s something for everyone.

Get in touch with us to find out more: info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

Support for all your funding needs

If you’re a voluntary or community organisation or social enterprise in North Yorkshire we can help you get the funding you need to create a more sustainable financial future for your organisation.

The VCSE Support team will work with you to understand your grant funding requirements, check you are eligible then direct you to suitable grants. We can also be a critical friend during the application process.

Because we’re funded by North Yorkshire Council, Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Bradford District & Craven Health & Care Partnership, our support is free to VCSE organisations in North Yorkshire.

How we can help you

We can help you with:

  • Becoming ‘funder ready’ – do you have everything in place to help you stand out with funders?
  • Preparing community consultations and surveys to provide evidence and data for funders
  • How to plan and cost a project
  • Identifying grants, trusts and funds to apply for
  • Giving advice on how to write an application and reviewing it as a critical friend
  • Liaising with funders – giving advice for contacting them directly or speaking on your behalf if required
  • Linking you with other successful groups to learn from their experience.

To get in touch, simply fill in an enquiry form or call 01904 704177 and ask to speak to someone in the VCSE Support team.

Find funding to fit your goals

Securing funding and planning for the future is vital.

Sign up to our free funding portal, Open4Community, to set up tailored funding searches and receive personalised updates straight to your inbox.

Our Funding Portal is an innovative online platform that transforms the way you search for and find funding.

Offering a one-stop-shop approach, the portal is not only free to users, it saves a stack of time with searches that can be tailored to your exact requirements. Find out more below:

We know that it’s a big job keeping on top of new funding opportunities, juggling so many different funds and deadlines.

Plus, every grant is different, offering different funding and with different caveats. Our new portal can help you cut through to find the funding options that meet your needs, your timescales and your organisation’s aims.

It’s free to register.

Our Funding Portal is a completely FREE service that allows local community, voluntary and social enterprise organisations as well as small to medium sized business enterprises based in North Yorkshire to access a myriad of funds for upcoming or ongoing projects.

The funding portal allows you to set up and save tailored searches, with results delivered straight to your inbox.

You can refine and filter by organisation, area of work, expenditure, funding type and source and geographic region.

The funding portal can save you time when you’re in need of project grants.

Instead of endless internet searching, simply log on and use our dedicated search engine to narrow down the funds you need in no time.

Our VCSE Support team can work with you to understand your grant funding needs, check you are eligible and be a ‘critical friend’ during the application process.

To get in touch, simply fill in an enquiry form or ring 01904 704177 and ask to speak to someone in the VCSE Support team.

The portal also features a catalogue of useful resources to guide you through the fundraising process and you can also find links to our VCSE Support training and networking events – all designed to help make sure your bid has the best possible chance of success.

Idox, the company that hosts the funding portal, has created a dedicated ‘How to’ guide to help you navigate easily around the portal. Support offered includes videos on how to run a search, how to download and save items, how to translate community jargon and how to apply for funding.

Visit our Funding Portal Right Right

Other support resources

A stone village hall with a shingled roof stands beside a grassy area and a noticeboard displaying community news. Traditional stone cottages and rolling hills are visible in the background under a blue sky.

Community buildings

A laptop, notebook, pen, and coffee mug sit on a wooden desk. In the background, two people are seated and talking, slightly out of focus, in an office or meeting room with large windows and noticeboards.

DBS checks

Four adults stand in a community room, smiling and talking whilst holding mugs. Behind them is a noticeboard with Health and Wellbeing and various informational leaflets.

Health and wellbeing in North Yorkshire

Four adults sit outdoors in a village setting, engaged in conversation. One man gestures whilst speaking; the others listen attentively. A stone building and noticeboard are visible in the background.

Rural support

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