There will be two rounds per year for six years with different themes each round. The themes for the first round are Carers and Dementia. The funds will be available to support a range of community-based projects that older people in Leeds who are most susceptible to the adverse effects loneliness and isolation can get involved with.

Fund Criteria
Applicants need to be voluntary or community groups, charities or social enterprises. We cannot make small funds directly to individuals, statutory organisations or commercial entities. You can apply as a local organisation for awards of between £5,000 and £10,000 to be spent within 12 months of payment receipt.

Your organisation doesn’t need to be based in Leeds but the project you apply for must only benefit residents of Leeds. If based outside of Leeds you will need to explain the links you already have to deliver this activity in the city.

We’re looking for innovative ideas that address needs of those socially isolated older people who find it hardest to access support due to geography; mobility; culture or other factors. We’re also looking for activity that increases resilience or builds networks which enable older people to increase their social opportunities and networks. Applicants must be able to show that they’re addressing a specific need in their community and that there’s demand for their services.

We’re looking to fund practical projects that provide real, tangible impact as opposed to information or events. We’re keen to support projects which are pro-active and work with other organisations to refer and signpost to enable people to access a wider range of support. Older people are at the heart of everything that happens in Time to Shine so we would encourage projects to think widely about their involvement in all elements of your project; design, delivery and evaluation.

The fund can be used to extend a current scheme / project or introduce a new idea / activity / pilot. We are not able to fund the following:

• Activity that’s purely about research, though evaluation of the proposed activity can be funded
• Capital Projects: buildings including upgrades and refurbishment; vehicle purchase (but can fund general transport costs as part of your project)
• Costs associated with a project which you are already undertaking (although we will pay for
• extending/expanding a current project if you can demonstrate it’s effective) or to replace
• funding streams that are no longer available
• Groups who have been previously funded by Time to Shine as a delivery partner

As we’re looking for innovative ideas, we don’t want to be prescriptive. However, we’ve given
examples of the effective, good practice projects that we might be willing to fund below:

• Mentoring, buddying or befriending roles to help increase access to other services/activities
• Innovative campaigns or activities in a specific, local area to target and engage “new” people
• that may not have had access to information before or using different partners including
• private sector and others

Process
To apply go to www.leedscf.org.uk/time-to-shine/ for Time to Shine Small Funds.

Timetable 
The deadline for the receipt of all applications is 5pm 18th January 2016. We aim to
distribute funds to successful applicants by April. Funding allocated in the first round should be
spent by 31st March 2017. All supported projects will be required to submit monitoring information including case studies and carry out questionnaires with beneficiaries.

Theme
The themes for the first round are Carers and Dementia.