We have two funding routes to give applicants the opportunity to access the funding they need to realise their potential - Starting Blocks and Springboard.
Starting Blocks
Starting Blocks is a grant up to the value of £2,000. The focus of the grant is to support a project or an event that makes a difference in the community. In some circumstance we support individuals and entrepreneurs with smaller grants that help them to set up a business.
The application form is less detailed, and a decision is usually made within 10 days of receiving an application.
If you are a Red Kite tenant and need help need help to pay for training or qualifications that will help secure a promotion or employment, or to help set up a business please contact the Twenty11 team.
Supporting our sheltered schemes
Sheltered schemes are specific accommodation we offer to people aged 60 and over. Funding can be used to deliver activities for our sheltered scheme residents which might bring people together for trips, social events and other activities .
Starting Blocks is for a maximum grant of £2,000
Springboard
Springboard provides larger grants to charities or groups that play a vital role in supporting our communities. The application form is a little more detailed and the decision-making process is longer as these are usually for larger and more complex projects. We always encourage applicants to get in touch with us to discuss their application before submitting their bid. This allows us to fully explore opportunities for partnership and makes it quicker and easier for applicants to complete the application form.
Springboard awards grants over £2,000
(Applications will only be considered from people or for projects based in communities where Red Kite operates.)
Funding areas
We have priority areas which most requests for funding will fall under:
Supporting our sheltered schemes
This is specific accommodation we offer to people aged 60 and over. Funding can be used to deliver activities for our sheltered scheme residents which might bring people together for trips, social events, and other activities.
Collaboration with key partners
These partners will come in all forms: small businesses, large charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), or multi-agency projects. As a key partner for Red Kite they will be facilitating, enabling, or directly delivering projects that link explicitly to our vision and values. Their services will make a meaningful difference to the lives of our tenants and the wider community.
Grassroots projects
Our communities are made up of individuals who are delivering small-scale but high-impact initiatives at the most local level. It could be a coffee morning, a parent group, or a community barbecue organised by families living in the same street.
Health and wellness
Initiatives that focus on promoting or supporting aspects of physical health and mental wellbeing. Examples might include activities supporting individuals with disabilities, support for addiction and recovery, or expanding access to mental health services for those in need.
Relief from poverty
Initiatives that seek to reduce reliance on emergency food aid by establishing more sustainable approaches to ensuring access to food. Examples might include community gardens, cooking classes, community meals, and projects that help people to increase their income. This could cover any initiatives that are focused on supporting people in our community who are experiencing financial hardship.
Arts and culture
Supporting activities that encourage creative expression and/or celebrate the diverse range of cultures that make up our communities.
Community funding FAQs
Funding decisions are made by panels that include Red Kite tenants and a small number of supporting staff members.
The funds are two different routes to access grants from the same funding pot. If you are looking to apply for £2,000 or less, you should apply via Starting Blocks and if you are looking to apply for more than £2,000 you should apply via Springboard. You cannot make an application to both at the same time.
There are two funding routes - Starting Blocks, which awards grants up to the value of £2,000; and Springboard, which awards grants over the value of £2,000 - but the grant comes from the same funding pot, and you cannot make an application to both at the same time.
Once an organisation has received Springboard or Starting Blocks funding, they will not be eligible for further funding via either route for the following 12 months.
We know that there are many fantastic projects and causes that need our support and we want to make sure we allocate our grant funding across a range of organisations that support different areas of our community. This gap between repeat funding being allocated helps to ensure that the fund is more accessible to a wider range of community partners.
You must get in contact with the team and let us know. We will then consider whether we need you to return the funding or if the panel would consider you using the funding for another purpose.
We are an organisation that makes many payments, and these are subject to stringent checks. This means it can take up to a month for payments to be made, although ensuring you complete and return the required paperwork promptly will often mean that payment is received more quickly.
We're always happy to discuss your funding needs before you decide to apply. For more information, please contact the Resident and Community Engagement team on 01494 476 288 or email springboard@redkitehousing.org.uk.
Funding for neighbourhood and environmental improvements
As well as Springboard and Starting Blocks, we also have a dedicated fund that's available to spend on neighbourhood and environmental improvements. Since the creation of our Environmental Improvement Group (EIG), we've been able to use this funding to make a difference to the places where our tenants live. We've helped invest in playgrounds, parking spaces, community projects, communal spaces and more. Find out more and apply for funding.