New Opportunities

• The Norton Foundation provides support for organisations in the Birmingham area and Warwickshire that help children and young persons under the age of 25 who are in need of care or rehabilitation or aid of any kind, particularly as a result of delinquency, maltreatment or neglect, or who are in danger of lapsing or relapsing into delinquency. Activities could include relief of homelessness, education and training, provision of facilities for young people, or holidays for the disadvantaged. Applications are welcome all year round.

• Community Cash Awards - The Royal Bank of Scotland has launched the Community Cash Awards scheme. £1 million worth of cash grants will be distributed by youth charity The Prince's Trust to young people who want to run community projects in some of Britain's poorest areas. For further details click here or go to the Prince's Trust website

Funding in the West Midlands

• Arts Council West Midlands - The Arts Council is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing money from government and the national lottery

• Sport England West Midlands - Sport England provides the strategic lead for sport in England, and is responsible for delivering the Government's sporting objectives

• Centro Social Inclusion Fund -Centro WMPTA’s Social Inclusion Fund aims to address the unmet transport needs of socially excluded groups and communities. It helps to improve access to key services such as employment, health, education services and/or other social needs

National Funding Opportunities

• Paul Hamlyn - open fund scheme to help marginalised young people moving through transition.

• You Can Do It – donations of B&Q products for community projects

• Community champions - Fund for volunteers to become more active in their communities

• Football Foundation – funding available to develop grass-roots football

• Crisis changing lives - £2,000 grants to assist homeless people to fulfil their vocational potential

• Big Lottery Fund - will give out over £2.3bn between 2006-09. Here is their new UK funding progammes.

• Social Enterprise - The SEU is looking for innovative social enterprises to take part in its pathfinder programme

• Microsoft Community Learning Awards - Funding and software to tackle digital exclusion among disadvantaged people.

• The Big Boost - Small grants funding to help young people develop ideas that will benefit their community.

• Awards for All - fund projects that enable people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community

• Reaching Communities - an exciting new England wide programme that will provide funding to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need.

• Hedley foundation - granst for building and refurbishing. Focus on youth, disability, serious illness and churches and community centres.

• Lankelly Chase - Funding stream focussing on the arts, offenders, refugees and asylum seekers.

• Allen Lane Foundation - offering grants between £500 and £5000 to community and voluntary groups

• Sport Relief - £4m fund aimed at increasing access to sport for socially excluded people, increasing confidence and self esteem and bringing communities together.

• Children, young people and families grant - A new £3.3m grant to support work that contributes to ensuring children and young people stay safe, are healthy, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing

• The People's Millions - Big Lottery and ITV fund of upto £80,000

• The Kelloggs Fund - Small grants aimed at increasing participation in physical activity

Funding support

• Guide to good fundraising - Institute of fundraising toolkit

• New Introductory Pack - guidance funding and finance for small-med organisations FREE from NCVO

• Outcomes reporting - Big Lottery guide to using an outcomes approach on funding reports

• Fit 4 funding A new website which aims to support voluntary agencies in accessing funding opportunities