The Domestic Abuse Small Grants Fund
The Domestic Abuse Small Grants fund has a set amount of funding which will be refreshed annually for three years, until 31st March 2028.
The closing date for all applications is 12 noon on Friday 6th Sept 2024. Please ensure you have submitted the appropriate application form along with your 2 appropriate refences on the template provided.
Please skip to the bottom of this page for all documents and application forms.
The fund is for revenue expenditure only, capital expenditure will not be considered.
The fund’s overarching aim is to focus on supporting new or existing projects/organisations who are trying to reach individuals experiencing domestic abuse who are not already accessing special domestic abuse support or might find this challenging.
Applications are particularly welcomed from ‘by and for’ organisations.[1] Service delivery projects will commit to working with each person holistically and ensure that the package of support includes advice or support to help victim/survivors secure or maintain safe accommodation.
[1] “Specialist “by” and “for” services are services that are designed and led by those that share the same characteristic or characteristics as the people they aim to serve, such as ethnic group, country of birth or religion” Women who have survived domestic abuse and their experiences of temporary safe accommodation in England: January to June 2023
Level of fund available
Four levels of funding are available dependent on the annual turnover of the organisation/group applying and the type of activity proposed:
- Route 1- Turnover of less than £5,000,000 per year= applications for up to £20,000 (one yearly applications considered)
- Route 2- Turnover of less than £100,000 per year= applications up to £10,000 (one yearly applications considered)
- Route 3- Turnover of less than £20,000 per year= applications for up to £5,000- can be divided between development funding (£2,000) and delivery phase (£3,000) rolling quarterly applications considered. The development phase funding to be used to ensure all criteria (see eligibility section- 7.1) are met in order to progress to the delivery phase.
- Route 4- Turnover of less that £20,000 per year= one off applications for £1,000 for infrastructure/non-service delivery activity with rolling quarterly applications considered.
Partnership bids will be considered for all routes as long as each partner has the appropriate annual turnover set out within the criteria.
Focus- all routes
Applications are welcomed from projects which focus on individuals who:
- Live in rural areas
- Live in deprived areas
- Identify as from an ethnic minority background
- Are refugees or asylum seekers
- Identify as LGBTQ+
- Are aged over 60
- Are aged between 16 and 25 years old
- Are neurodiverse or have a learning disability
- Have Multiple Compound Needs
- Are involved (or at risk of being involved) with the Criminal Justice system
- Misuse drugs and/or alcohol
- Experience poor mental health or wellbeing
- Are carers or are cared for
- Care experienced
- Have a disability
- Are pregnant and/or have children
- Are male victims
- Have no recourse to public funds
- Have English as an additional language
- Are veterans/from the armed forces and their family members
RVA as your local infrastructure organisation will be on hand to support with funding applications, in particular for those that fit into route 3 (and 4).
1.1 Route 3 (Turnover of less than £20,000 per year= applications for up to £5,000)
The fund is looking for projects that:
- Provide support for adults and/or children where there is an evidenced unmet need relating to domestic abuse.
- Provides individuals with bespoke support which includes support to secure or maintain safe accommodation in the widest sense. This does not mean that you need to provide the accommodation directly, but part of the support will be to identify actions that can be taken by the person or the service to address safety at home.
- Deliver specific and measurable outcomes with impact for the individual.
- Are partnership bids between organisations with aligned aims.
- Work in a fully integrated way with other service offers.
- Are delivered with risk management and safely planning as an integral part of the service design. Providers will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of criteria and referral pathways to the Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC), refuge and community domestic abuse service.
- Are delivered with adult and child safeguarding as an integral part of the service design. Providers will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of criteria and referral pathways to adult and child safeguarding agencies.
- Help develop an evidence base for future funding.
- Provide equal access to target groups identified within the aims of their bid.
- Are run ‘by and for’- bids would be welcomed but this is not essential- see footnote 1 above for definition.
- Bids providing ‘match funding’ from other avenues/sources to combine with this grant to increase impact/reach into East Sussex would be welcomed but this is not essential.
1.1 Route 4 (Turnover of less that £20,000 per year= one off applications for £1,000)
The aim of route 4 is to support projects that increase groups’/organisations’ ability to address domestic abuse safely. This route is not to be used for any level of direct service delivery. It is intended to provide a one-off payment to improve a groups/organisations awareness regarding domestic abuse. For example:
- Investments in training for staff and volunteers from a reputable training provider.
- Staff time to review the group/organisation’s policy and processes relating to domestic abuse.
- Activity to raise awareness of the existing of local domestic abuse providers in local community.
- Consultancy support for the group on Domestic Abuse related matters.
All successful bids can expect the following:
- A point of contact within the Domestic Abuse team at East Sussex County Council for support and guidance regarding the fund and projects funded.
- Support from the relevant Local Voluntary Action group regarding infrastructure support. Particularly relevant to bids to route 3 in development phase- see section 7.2.
- The opportunity to join the Safe Space Sussex Funding Network[2] as an ‘approved provider’ and make use of their networking and training opportunities. N.B to sign up to the network providers must demonstrate they meet specific requirements across the following areas: organisation, staff and management, information sharing, safeguarding, monitoring and evaluating, partnership working and financial management.
[2] SPCC – Safe Space Sussex Funding Network (sussex-pcc.gov.uk)
Eligibility
7.2 Route 3
Route 3 applicants are initially only required to meet the following essential criteria in order to make an application to this fund:
- Meet the correct annual turnover as outlined in section 2.
- Hold an organisational bank account or use an account holding service.
- Be a not-for-profit organisation/group and provide/plan to provide a free of charge and confidential service.
- Be able to provide 2 referees to evidence their suitability for receiving this funding (must include 1 from a professional person and 1 can be a personal reference- see appendix 3 and 4).
If the bid is successful, then all criteria outlined in 7.1 is required to be completed within the development phase and funding of the project. The work required to meet the criteria can be costed within the development phase of the bid (including staff time to undertake this work and consultancy/mentoring support if required). During the development phase projects can seek support from their local Voluntary Action group to meet all criteria requested.
Only once these criteria outlined in section 7.1 are met can the project progress to the delivery phase and release of the associated funds applied for.
7.3 Route 4
In order to apply for route 4 the group/organisation must:
- Meet the correct annual turnover as outlined in section 2.
- Hold an organisational bank account or use an account holding service.
- Be a not-for-profit organisation and provide a free of charge and confidential service.
- Be able to clearly outline plans for the money and what positive impact this will have relating to the relevant key areas of work.
- Be able to provide 2 referees to evidence their suitability for receiving this funding (must include 1 from a professional person and 1 can be a personal reference- see documents 8 and 9).
