Friday 18 Jan 2008 @ 12:57
Big Lottery Fund
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BIG MULTI-MILLIONS prime BASIS for stronger third sector

The Big Lottery Fund is priming stronger support networks for carers and people with disabilities with the award today of £41.5 million to 84 projects across England. 
 
Today’s awards mean just over 200 projects aiming to increase the effectiveness of the Third Sector have benefited from lottery good cause funding from BIG’s BASIS programme. These new grants complete the Fund’s roll out of close to £100 million from the first phase of the programme.
 
Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund England Committee, said: “These awards bring funding from the first phase of the BASIS programme to a close, having provided close to £100 million to strengthen the Third Sector across England. Whether working at a country, regional or district level each of the projects we’ve funded will play a vital role in helping voluntary and community groups achieve their goals.”
 
A second round of BASIS will open for applications in Spring 2008. A consultation about what BIG proposed to fund in the second funding round two took place in Autumn 2007 and the findings will be incorporated into the programme.
 
The largest of today’s awards sees a grant of £4,245,382 awarded to Scope to fund its three-year Disability LIB (Listen, Include, Build) project. The project will establish the UK's first disability-led consortium that will advise on the critical and varied needs of disabled people's organisations (DPOs) across England and provide the necessary infrastructure support.
 
Through this project, DPOs will have access to action-learning groups, training workshops, seminars and practical toolkits. Direct support will be provided in management, finance, partnership brokerage and shared services.
 
Andy Rickell, Chair of Disability LIB and an Executive Director at Scope, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding and are grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for their generous grant.  Many disabled people’s organisations are in crisis, largely because their needs are not being met by the mainstream voluntary sector. Disability LIB - which is led and controlled by disabled people – is aimed at turning around the fortunes of the sector and helping create a new generation of DPOs that will deliver high quality services and more effective campaigning and lobbying.
 
“Strengthening the role of DPOs will have a positive impact on the lives of disabled people across England and enable them to have the same rights and opportunities that many non-disabled people take for granted.”
 
To provide information, advice, and support services to carers, a grant of £1,003,027 has been awarded to The Princess Royal Trust For Carers. The Building Sustainable Carers Support Services Across Southern England project will provide training, support, advice, and greatly increased networking opportunities to carer centres in the Midlands, South West, and South East.
 
Jane Burt, The Princess Royal Trust For Carers Assistant Director Operations (South), said: “The BASIS grant will enable us to develop carers’ support in the South East, South West and Midlands regions over the next 5 years – resulting in real growth in services for carers. The Trust will provide advice, support and training and bring organisations together so that they can influence the planning and development of services in the future.
 
“With carers high on the Government agenda and beginning to gain recognition as vital partners in the future delivery of successful health and social care, this grant could not come at a better time for the Trust, for local carers’ support organisations and for carers.”
 
A four-year grant of £894,699 has been awarded to Off the Streets and Into Work (OSW), to fund its Ethical Enterprise and Employment (3xE) Network. The project will develop an England-wide regional network to provide infrastructure support to organisations working in the homeless sector.
 
Linda Butcher, OSW Chief Executive, said: “OSW is delighted to be awarded a BASIS grant from the Big Lottery Fund. The grant will enable us to establish an Ethical Enterprise and Employment (3xE) Network, bringing together organisations using social enterprise and/or supported employment models and organisations working with unemployed people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 
 
“The Network aims to improve working practice, develop and share resources and increase the sustainability of beneficiary organisations by improving their business skills and their access to public and corporate funding.
 
“The 3xE Network will operate in three English regions in the first year (London, South West and East Midlands), expanding over years two and three to represent all nine English regions by year four. It will target regional infrastructure bodies and local/regional employment training and homelessness organisations.”
 
The BASIS programme was devised following extensive public consultation and discussions with the voluntary and community sector. The programme aims to develop the provision of expert, consistent and sustainable services across the range of voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as established charities and voluntary groups.
 
The other BASIS awards announced today can be viewed at:
 

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