A new fund has been launched today to help maximise funding for the voluntary and community sector across the district.

The Bradford Fund aims to push investment into the voluntary sector and to increase philanthropic giving from corporates and individuals.

The Bradford Fund is an independent distributer of funds to the voluntary and community sector and was designed by listening to the experiences of those communities, organisations and individuals who are tackling inequality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated flexible and rapid grant-making to support the survival of organisations in Bradford.

During the early stages of the pandemic, The Bradford Fund took the decision to fund ongoing delivery and emergency support work, but also to pilot a form of funding that covered the core costs of community organisations to help them thrive in the longer-term.

The fund have utilised the learning from this pilot and have designed these grants using feedback from the organisations that received pilot grants, as well as wider insights from across the sector in Bradford.  

The first round of grants from The Bradford Fund (2022) seek to provide funding and support to build the longer-term resilience of organisations doing great things in our city.

This fund therefore is designed to cover the core costs of community organisations and encourage strategic development work alongside daily delivery. 

This funding programme is designed to cover the cost of community organisations being able to take the time and space to step back from delivery and undertake strategic development work.

By developing the Fund in this way, it is hoped that it gives this sector the best chance of both delivering effectively – and surviving – in the years ahead.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 3 November 2021 at noon.