The Resilience Fund is open to Stage 1 applications between 8 January 2024 – 2 February 2024.

Aims of the Fund

The Resilience Fund forms part of our 2030 Strategy and represents a £900,000 investment in strengthening the voluntary sector. It aims to support small-to-medium sized organisations to invest in organisational development and build resilience for the future.

Fund Overview

We are looking to support up to six organisations working with young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and who face multiple layers of discrimination and inequality.

Our support will focus on organisations that can demonstrate that they are operating in a way that actively promotes diversity, equity and inclusion.

We will prioritise funding for organisations working with LGBTQ+ young people, and those that apply a multi-agency approach to tackling youth homelessness.

Successful organisations will receive up to £60,000 over two years to build organisational resilience. Please note we are unable to consider applications for frontline delivery.

Funding will run alongside a bespoke learning and evaluation programme, focused on highlighting best practice and supporting peer learning. Successful applicants will be able to access additional resources from the Berkeley Foundation and, where there is alignment of skills and needs, pro bono support from the wider Berkeley Group.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to apply for a grant through the Resilience Fund, your organisation must:

• be a registered charity or community interest company (CIC) with an annual income between £100,000 – £1.5m;
• have at least one year of published accounts;
• cover and deliver in at least one of the following geographical areas – Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire, West Sussex, Warwickshire and the City of Birmingham;
• be focused on working with young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and who face multiple layers of discrimination and inequality;
• be able to demonstrate that you operate in a way that actively promotes equity, diversity and inclusion;
• apply for funding towards organisational development work and not frontline delivery;
• apply for funding over two years;
• not request more than 20% of your overall turnover in any one year;
• have a safeguarding policy in place before the start of the proposed project;
• not have had support from Berkeley Foundation’s Capacity Building Fund in the past.

What We Can’t Fund

• Local Authorities and other statutory agencies;
• Schools;
• Organisations with an annual income of under £100,000, or over £1.5m;
• New organisations without at least one year of published accounts;
• Organisations that do not work in our specified geographical areas;
• Individuals;
• Capital projects;
• Work that has already begun;
• Organisations that do not have an up to date safeguarding policy;
• Organisations who have already benefitted from our Capacity Building Fund;
• Organisations that deliver services outside of the UK.

What We Are Looking For

We will be scoring applications against the following assessment criteria:

• Organisational need – we will be looking for evidence that your organisation has a clear resilience need that aligns with our building blocks.
• Organisational impact – we will be looking to understand the impact that this work will have on your organisation and how you will be more resilient as a result.
• Feasibility of project – we will consider the costs and timescales of this work, alongside your organisation’s capacity to deliver it.
• Alignment with the fund’s theme and criteria – we will take account of the specific services you deliver to support young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and who face multiple layers of discrimination and inequality.
• Approach to diversity, equity and inclusion – we ask you to demonstrate that your organisation actively promotes equity, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that young people feel safe to access its services regardless of their ethnicity, background, gender, or sexual orientation.
• Alignment with the Fund’s priority areas – we will seek evidence of your organisation’s work with LGBTQ+ young people and/or a multi-agency approach to tackling youth homelessness.

Application Process

This year we are operating a two-stage application process.

Stage 1 – The first stage includes an eligibility check, accessibility and EDI questions, organisational details, and four questions about your proposal.

The deadline for Stage 1 applications is 2 February 2024 (5pm).

Stage 2 – Organisations that have been longlisted at Stage 1 will be invited to submit a full application at Stage 2. A separate link and access code will be shared with longlisted applicants.

The deadline for Stage 2 applications is 8 March 2024 (5pm).

We aim to communicate final decisions to successful organisations by May 2024 and grants will be paid in June/July 2024.

We encourage organisations to contact the Foundation team before applying. You can get in touch by calling  01932 868 555 or emailing us on info@berkeleyfoundation.org.uk