The Whittington and Fisherwick Fund is the new name of the Whittington Poor Fund, which transferred to The Community Foundation for Staffordshire in 2017. Grants are available to community based organisations who are working to provide services or facilities to residents who live in the parish of Whittington and Fisherwick, within the Lichfield district. This fund is ring-fenced, and so can only be used to support organisations in the parish, not the wider district.
About Grants from the Whittington & Fisherwick Fund
You can apply for a grant of up to £1,000.
The former name of this fund was the Whittington Poor Fund, and it was held by a local panel within the village of Whittington. This fund transferred to the management of The Community Foundation in 2016 with the support and recommendation of the Charity Commission.
At the time of transfer, and in line with the original deed of trust, it was decided to widen the geographical remit of the fund so that it would apply to the whole parish of Whittington and Fisherwick, rather than part of it. At the same time, the name was changed to the Whittington & Fisherwick Fund, to better reflect it’s area of coverage.
Whilst a small number of grants to community organisations had been made each year, the transfer meant that more funding could be awarded than before. Therefore the application process has been opened up so that any community or voluntary organisation working within the parish of Whittington and Fisherwick can apply for funding.
The fund is administered as part of our portfolio of funds for the Lichfield district, which can only benefit areas within the Lichfield district. This means that the Whittington & Fisherwick Fund will only be used to benefit people in the parish.
Whilst applications to the fund can be made at any time, there will be two distinct rounds of funding each year. The first will be opened formally in April, with decisions made in May and awards made in June. The second round will open in October, with decisions made in November and awards made in December.
What We Will Fund
Types of Organisation
We will support the following types of organisation;
- Constituted community groups
- Constituted voluntary groups
- Registered Charities
- Social Enterprises
Geographic Reach
We will support organisations based in, or working for the benefit of people in the following local authority areas;
- Lichfield, (but only in the parish of Whittington & Fisherwick)
Beneficiaries
In order to qualify for a grant from this scheme your project must be supporting the following types of beneficiary;
- People resident in the parish of Whittington and Fisherwick
- People who use locally provided services in the parish of Whittington and Fisherwick
Project Aims
Your project must meet one of the following criteria;
- Increase or enhance your current service provision
- Make your organisation more efficient, more sustainable or more resilient
- Be used to improve services or facilities for your service users
Eligible Costs
- Core costs
- Event costs
- Equipment costs
- Capital costs
- Training costs
What We Will Not Fund
Types of Organisation
This fund will not offer funding to the following organisations;
- Non-constituted community groups
- Non-constituted voluntary groups
- Statutory agencies
- Organisations that have been established less than 12 months
- Organisations that do not have a proven track record of service delivery
- Limited companies, sole traders or partnerships without charitable aims
Geographic Reach
This fund cannot support organisations who are based in, or working in the following local authority areas;
- Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Newcastle under Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke on Trent, Tamworth
- Lichfield district outside of the Whittington & Fisherwick parish
- Any area outside Staffordshire
Beneficiaries
This fund cannot support any organisation whose primary beneficiaries are
- Not usually resident in the parish of Whittiongton and Fisherwick
Ineligible Costs
This fund will not offer support for the following costs;
- Funding towards religious projects or projects that promote religion, (although religious organisations can be funded for non-religious projects)
- Party political activities, (where one particular political party is promoted above another)
- Funding year on year to the same organisation for the same project
Documents You Must Submit With Your Application
The following documents must be provided with your application form. If you fail to provide these documents your application will not be considered for funding. All documents should be submitted at the time of application.
- A copy of your governing document, (constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association)
- A copy of your most recent accounts, (audited or independently examined)
- A recent bank statement, (dated within the last three months clearly showing account number and sort code)
- A copy of your safeguarding policy
- At least three quotes for any capital items
Closing Dates & Submission Deadlines
The following dates are submission dates and panel dates for 2019.
- Applications submitted before 29th April 2019 will go to the panel on 13th May 2019
- Applications submitted after 29th April 2019, but before 7th October 2019 will go to the panel on 21st October 2019
- Applications submitted after 7th October 2019 will go to the panel in May 2020
How To Apply
To apply for a grant of up to £1,000 please submit an application using our online application facility. You can attach your supporting documents to the application. The application form will be headed ‘We Love Lichfield’; this is because the Whittington and Fisherwick Fund forms part of our portfolio of funds for the Lichfield district. Individuals should see the webpage specifically for individual applications, which you can see by clicking here
