Smallwood Trust Launches Women’s Sector Resilience Fund Phase 2

Funding to support local networks of organisations in specified areas of England that are working with and for women to make change to systems that cause women’s poverty in their area.

Smallwood Trust’s new programme has a total of £1.5 million to fund approximately three networks over three years to achieve the programme goals of:

  • Working with networks of organisations united by geography to reduce gendered poverty in their area.
  • Building capacity within local communities to help the local women’s sector to create sustainable change.

Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisation (including registered charities and CICs) that is women only or has a track record in delivering services for women (aged 18+) facing multiple and complex disadvantage.

The funding is for networks in and around the following areas:

  • Birmingham
  • Bristol
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • Liverpool / Merseyside
  • Manchester
  • Middlesbrough / Teesside
  • Newcastle
  • West Yorkshire (Bradford and Leeds)

It is expected that approximately three geographical place-based networks will be funded over three years. Each network can apply for up to £500,000 to be spent over three years.

The funding will be awarded to a lead organisation who be responsible for distributing the money to the rest of the network. This funding will pay for:

  • Core costs for each of the organisations involved (70%) eg, £350,000.
  • Support to coordinate the network (20%) eg, £100,000.
  • Any advisory support / organisational development / capacity building that might be needed (10%) eg, £50,000.

Groups that would like further information can attend a webinar to be held on 20 October (1pm to 2pm) or 3 November (10am to 11am).

There is a two-stage application process.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 10 December 2021.

(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)