Answer

There are a number of trusts and grant funders who look favourably on applications for ICT within a project application, but a limited number of funders will specifically fund ICT. I don't know the legal setup of your organisation (and therefore its eligibility for certain grants), your precise target groups and your location, so I will answer generally. Suggestions as follows:

Awards For All

Awards for All can fund projects that enable people to take part in and access community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community. You can apply at any time

• The application form is short and simple
• There are links to guidance notes and sources of help
• You will be told if you are successful or not within 3 months

Your group can only receive a maximum of £10,000 from April 2006 in any 2 year period from Awards for All. This will be from the date you are notified of any award made. You can apply if:

• You need a grant of between £300 and £10,000 to fund a specific project or activity;
• You are a not-for-profit group; or
• You are a Parish or Town Council, School or Health body;
• You can use the grant within one year.

Here are some of the things that a grant could be spent on:

• Providing training courses
• Professional fees
• Equipment and materials

Contact your regional Awards for All office Awards Officer on 020 7587 6643 or 020 7587 6642.

Bridge House Trust

Bridge House Trust has recently refreshed and re focussed its grants programmes in these five broad areas:

• Access for Disabled People
• London's Environment
• Children & Young People
• Older People in the Community
• Strengthening the Voluntary & Community Sectors

BT Community Connections

BT Community Connections is a nationwide award scheme that aims to connect local community and voluntary groups to the Internet. The scheme has already allocated 1,100 PCs throughout the UK during the past 12 months and there are a further 600 to be awarded.

Every award winner will receive a package of an NEC multimedia personal computer including speakers, 15" monitor and a contribution towards 12 months Internet access. Each award will give community and voluntary groups the ability to access up to date information via the world wide web, contact similar groups around the world by email and even create their own community interest websites.

All you have to do is log on to the website - www.btcommunityconnections.com, or request an application pack from:
BT Community Connections
PO Box 30775
London WC1B 4QE

Worshipful Company of Information Technologists

Aimed at addressing "digital exclusion" it tries to bring the benefits of IT within reach of people disadvantaged for whatever reason. WCIT members provide strategic advice to a range of not-for-profit partner organisations, working together with these organisations to develop a growing range of IT based charitable projects.

WCIT also run the successful IT4Communities volunteering scheme.

For general enquiries please contact: info@wcit.org.uk
Tel: 020 7600 1992
Fax: 020 7600 1991 39A Bartholomew Close
London EC1A 7JN
Website: www.wcit.org.uk

Microsoft Awards

The Microsoft Giving programme provides support in kind to hundreds of charity and community groups in the UK. Between 1998 and 2002 Microsoft donated over £3 million of software to the UK voluntary sector, for use in fundraising or helping to run voluntary organisations.

To apply for a donation of up to three software packages, please write to them at the address below. You should provide a brief outline of your project or organisation - concise and factual information that will help us understand how we might be able to assist you - and, where applicable, the software you require and your registered charity number.

Freepost SCO5171 Glasgow G3 7BR or email MicrosoftGiving@microsoft-contact.co.uk
Website: www.microsoft.com/uk/community/community

Lloyds TSB Foundation for England & Wales

The Trustees' policy is to support under funded charities so people, especially disadvantaged or disabled people, can play a fuller role in the community. They support a wide range of activities:

• Family support
• Challenging disadvantage and discrimination
• Helping to make the voluntary sector more effective

Lloyds TSB unusually fund running costs.

Grants of £300 - £5000 but grants of up to £10,000 may be awarded for special interest categories. Application forms are obtainable from any member of the Foundation staff or from their website at www.lloydstsbfoundations.org.uk. Forms can be returned at any time, but must be sent by post. They will not accept forms that have been emailed or faxed.

PO Box 140
St Mary's Court 20
St Mary at Hill
London EC3R 8NA
Tel: 0870 411 1223

Application form from website: www.lloydstsbfoundations.org.uk

Abbey National Charitable Trust Ltd

The Trustees are committed to empowering disadvantaged people to live fuller lives. The Trust supports registered charities which benefit people who are disabled or disadvantaged and socially isolated. Smaller charities and local appeals are more favoured. Themes:

• Education and training
• Local regeneration projects which encourage cross-community projects
• Financial advice, which helps them to manage their money

Requests must be for something that is suitable for one-off funding. The trustees favour smaller, local charities.

Contact:
Charitable Trust Manager
PO Box 911
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK9 1AD.

Tel: 0870 608 0104
Email: communitypartnership@abbeynational.co.uk

Tudor Trust

For further information contact:
Tel: 020 7727 8522
Website: www.tudortrust.org.uk

The Baring Foundation

The 2006 Strengthening the Voluntary Sector programme is now closed.

Website: http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/

Allen Lane Foundation

The Allen Lane Foundation is a charitable trust, which makes grants to small voluntary not-for-profit organisations. The types of projects that may be funded include:

• Providing advice, information and services to one or more of the priority groups.
• Community development.
• Social welfare aimed at making a long-term difference and empowering users.

Single, one-off grants range from £500 - £15,000. Grants repeated for more than one year vary from £500 - £5,000 per annum, for a maximum of three years.

The Foundation will not fund larger organisations; eligible organisations will have an income of less than £100,000. Organisations that work across the whole of the UK will be eligible if it has an income of not more than about £250,000.

Deadline: Applications can be made at any time and are processed throughout the year.

Further information: Before completing the application, you should check exclusions and use the guidance notes on the website. Contact:

Tel: 01904 613223
e-mail: info@allenlane.org.uk
Website: www.allenlane.org.uk

Big Lottery Fund - Reaching Communities programme

The Big Lottery Fund wishes to “fund projects that respond to needs identified by communities, and actively involve them. It wants to fund projects that help those most in need including those people or groups who are hard to reach. The fund will give support to those projects it thinks best meet their communities' needs.”

This is a 3 year programme, which will fund projects for up to five years and give grants of more than £10,000 and up to £500,000, including a maximum of £50,000 for capital grants.

For more information see www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/programmes/reachingcommunities/index2.htm

Big Lottery Fund's BASIS

The BASIS programme for England aims to improve the infrastructure support available to all voluntary and community sector organisations in England , will run for three years and aims to add value and complement the ChangeUp programme. You can apply to BASIS if you are a voluntary or community organisation whose main or only purpose is to support the work of other voluntary and community organisations. BASIS will not make grants to statutory organisations or to those whose primary purpose is to make a profit.

You can apply for up to £500,000 for capital or revenue costs for projects lasting up to 5 years with a minimum of £10,001 – the overall value of the fund is £155 million. If your project is working across England or across several regions, they will consider applications for larger amounts.

They particularly want the programme to deal with the following key issues:

• helping organisations to increase the financial and other resources open to them including through support in fundraising and financials management;
• improving knowledge and skills in organisational and project planning and management
• helping organisations to have influence on local and national policies relevant to their work, supporting trustees and ensuring organisations are run efficiently and accountably
• promoting networking and sharing of knowledge and skills

In addition they want infrastructure bodies themselves to be more financially stable, to provide more consistent support to others to achieve the outcomes listed above, and to be able to make contact with and support organisations that they have traditionally found hard to reach.

Further information: See their website at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or contact the Big Advice Line: 0845 410 2030.

Cooperative Charitable Foundation

Their Community Support Programme aims to encourage community involvement through supporting voluntary and community groups. They are aiming to provide assistance to groups who have a self-help approach or that can show a close involvement with their beneficiaries.

Types of projects that may be funded are:

• Support and development of new and existing community groups, community centres and transport schemes;
• Those that encourage people to work with others who have similar needs and problems;
• Provision and improvement of community facilities.

For further information contact the Donation Office to discuss your project and request guidelines and an application form, or download the relevant application form from the website.

Tel: 01706 202032
Website: http://www.co-operative.co.uk/en/communityfund/

Garfield Weston Foundation

Current funded areas by the Foundation include:

• Social welfare;
• Community;
• Education; and
• Health.

The trustees have no specific priorities, nor any exemptions excepting animal welfare charities.

There is no limit on the size of grant; both large and small grant funding is available to community based charitable projects ranging from £5,000 to £100,000 or more in exceptional cases. They are inclined to resist funding an individual salary but are prepared to consider making a donation towards general running costs.

The Foundation supports only UK registered charities. Charities are asked not to reapply within a twelve-month period of an appeal to the Foundation, whether they have received a grant or not.

There is no deadline for applications, which are normally processed within three to four months of receipt. Applications for funding should be made in writing and must include a covering letter and a completed application form, downloadable from their website below. Completed applications should be sent to their postal address below. Further information:

Tel: 020 7399 6565
Fax: 020 7399 6580
Post : The Administrator, Garfield Weston Foundation, 10 Grosvenor Street, London W1K 4QY
Website: www.garfieldweston.org

Henry Smith Charity

The Henry Smith Charity funds projects including: purchase/refurbishment of a building or specialist equipment and other capital expenditure, or one year's running costs. Priorities include:

• Homeless
• Disability
• Elderly
• Young people
• Community service

There is a large grants programme available and small grants are from £500 to £10,000 are given to organisations with an annual income of less than £150,000.

Further information:

Tel: 020 7320 6884
Website: www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk

Lankelly Foundation

This Foundation wants to concentrate on organisations with an income of £150,000 or less, many of which will have a local or regional remit. There are no set deadlines and grants range from £5,000 - £30,000. Note that they do not fund organisations based in London or Northern Ireland . Themes:

Developing communities (developing sustainable funding strategies, partnership working).

Breaking the cycle (domestic violence outreach projects, work with women and young people).

Free and quiet minds (BME groups providing mental health services) and

Offenders and society ( resettlement of offenders or the support of detained refugees or asylum seekers.).

There is also a limited programme to support organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers. Revenue and capital funding is available The Foundation welcomes telephone enquiries and general enquiries by email. Applications must be made by post, and are accepted as received, allow up to 6 months for processing.

Further information:
Tel: 01235 820044
email: Barbara.garlick@btconnect.com
website: www.lankellychase.org.uk

Comic Relief - Small Grants programme

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for organisations with a yearly turnover of less than £150,000. Priority is given for core costs and equipment costs.

Applications can be made at any time and decisions are made within three months of application. You can apply under the following programmes:

• Older People – to combat isolation and loneliness
• Mental Health – to support user-led mental health groups
• Disadvantaged Communities – to support local community groups and community enterprises at neighbourhood level.

Website: www.comicrelief.com for details).

John Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust

The Trust aims to fund projects to alleviate poverty and misery in general, and unpopular causes in particular, within the U.K. The emphasis is on self-help and enabling people to reach their potential. The Trustees favour small community and local projects which make good use of volunteers.

One of the main beneficial areas is welfare including:

• Communities which are clearly disadvantaged and trying to improve their lot, particularly projects to do with helping young people in the long-term.
• Homelessness, particularly projects which help prevent people becoming homeless or to resettle them.
• Ethnic Minorities involved in above areas, including refugees, particularly projects aimed at integration.
• Mental Health in a wide sense. This includes projects for:
  • mentally ill adults;
  • drug, alcohol and other addictions, and related problems;
  • support groups for people under stress, e.g. battered wives, victims of abuse, families in difficulties, etc;
• Offenders, both in and out of prison, men and women, young offenders, sexual offenders.
• Job Creation projects or ones aimed at making long-term constructive use of enforced leisure time, particularly ones set up by unemployed people.

Grants are usually in the £5 - 15,000 range, for both capital and revenue. Those for salaries or running costs can be repeated on an annual basis for a maximum of 3 years. Previous funding includes supporting an outreach debt advice service.

Further information:
Please send applications by post to: Ms Bridget O'Brien Twohig, Director, J. Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust, 1 Park Square West , London NW1 4LJ
Telephone: (020) 7486 1859
Website: www.jpgettytrust.org.uk

Switched On Communities

The aim of the programme, which is being managed through the DSG International Foundation is to tackle the ‘Digital Divide’, which excludes disadvantaged communities from online resources.

Grants are available for community-based projects that improve local, social, economic and environmental conditions in and around DSG International sites, and in areas where the Group’s presence is most closely felt.

• The programme also aims to provide information technology to disadvantaged groups
• Supporting training initiatives to help bridge the digital divide and
• Local projects to promote the inclusion of young people into mainstream education and society.

Examples could include teaching refugee elders I.T. skills or an outreach advice centre in a college wishing to offer access to relevant website information.

Grants range up from £500. You can apply by completing an application form downloadable from the website – applications take 4-6 weeks to be processed. For an application form and more information see their website given below.

See their website at: www.dsgiplc.com

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is one of the more forward looking foundations and is going to loosen up what it will fund from January and 'listen more' to needs of applicants. Sign-up to find out what this may mean: http://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/programmes/advance.html

Other ICT 'friendly' charities are listed on the ICT Hub's website here: http://www.icthub.org.uk/how_we_can_help/Funding_03.html

But be warned that any listed information does go out of date quickly!

It is always worth a call or email to a grant giver to see if you can get a quick No or Maybe before you waste any time.