WCVA Newsletter

The Economy Secretary Ken Skates has announced £1.7m of EU funding for an extension to our Social Business Growth Fund (SBGF) and a further £1m for an exciting new Community Asset Development Fund (CADF). SBGF has been helping social businesses increase their impact in Welsh communities since 2017, and the new CADF will boost this even further, enabling them to support the provision of local services like community centres. For more information, please contact the Social Investment Cymru team. Staying with funding opportunities, a new round of Volunteering Wales grants was launched on 12 September with grants available to volunteering projects working in early years, mental health, housing, skills and employability, and social care. There's up to £20,000 available, so get your applications in before 5 December. Thanks for reading, we'll see you again next week.

Volunteering Are you interested in volunteering for a new nature conservation project across South Wales? Get involved by answering the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust’s ‘Connecting the Dragons’ project survey and you'll also be entered into their prize draw Different Dimensions to Volunteering Volunteering comes in many different forms, and making a difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities is just one of these. How can you make a difference? We talked about all things volunteering with Dimensions UK.

WCVA general WCVA Board of Trustees Election 2018 It’s almost time for WCVA members to vote for their top eight nominees to join WCVA’s board of trustees. Need help with volunteering-wales.net? Fiona Liddell, Volunteering Development Manager WCVA, describes some of the assistance that is available to those looking for volunteers through the new volunteering platform.

Third sector general Brexit and Civil Society funding in Wales – The path travelled so far and where we are now In this blog, Wales Civil Society Forum on Brexit Coordinator Charles Whitmore outlines the implications of the UK and Welsh Government’s announcements, and addresses the key challenges facing a post-Brexit civil society in Wales. Welsh Government funding boost for community land use in Wales Social Farms & Gardens (SF&G) has received Welsh Government funding of nearly £125,000 to support community groups, local authorities and land owners to access, own and improve green spaces in their area.

Funding One Stop Carriers for Causes Organisations located within two miles of a One Stop shop can apply for grants of up to £1000 to support projects that ‘benefit local communities - helping to improve lives and local places’ using money raised from the 5p carrier bag charge. ‘Now’s the Time’ Large Grant Programme launched by Rosa Up to £1 million is available through the Now’s the Time programme, to organisations working towards ending sexual harassment. Extension to the Social Business Growth Fund and new strand of funding announced Since 2017 the Social Business Growth Fund has been responsible for providing an innovative mix of grant and repayable finance to social businesses throughout Wales via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Training and events Webinar - Enabling Natural Resources and Well-Being in Wales 2019-2023 Grant Funding Save the date - 11.10.18 Dealing with difficult conversations Skills and techniques for establishing boundaries and managing conflict Managing projects A comprehensive project management training programme, endorsed by ILM. Webinar: Why using data effectively enables better decision making Right now there is so much data out there, people are drowning in it. But is it the right kind of data? Is your organisation using the right kind of data in the right way to achieve the results it wants?

Trustees and governance Public Benefit Reporting The Charity Commission has said that charities must do better at communicating with the public through their annual reports and accounts. Check if setting up a charity is the best option The Charity Commission has issued new guidance to help people decide whether setting up a new charity is the best way to achieve what they want to do 7 Deadly Sins of Trustee Recruitment Is your charity committing the seven deadly sins of trustee recruitment?

Policy and politics This week's consultations Three chances to have your say. New leader for Plaid Cymru Adam Price has replaced Leanne Wood as leader of Plaid Cymru following a leadership contest. Post-Brexit funding 'must be managed by Wales' The Finance Committee has said that any replacement for EU funding in Wales should be managed by Welsh Government. Future Generations Commissioner for Wales calls on Welsh Government to be brave in its investment on transport A new report shows how Wales could transform its transport system by investing in public transport, active travel and ensuring delivery of all phases of the South Wales Metro with the £1.4bn currently earmarked for the M4 Black Route.