Child poverty innovation and supporting communities grant

£1,495,000 is being made available to support public and third sector organisations (which include faith groups). 

We will provide grants to eligible organisations/groups of up to a maximum of:

1. £25,000 (local and community level)
2. £125,000 (regional level) depending on the grant category your organisation/group applies for

The grant is available to support public and third sector organisations  in their efforts to achieve the following: 

• Enhance the capacity of organisations to form collaborative working arrangements to address child poverty, linked to one or more of the 5 objectives of the Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024.
• Support organisations working together to enhance effective communication, joint working and knowledge transfer in responding to child poverty at the regional, local or community level.

Grant funding is available to:

• progress, strengthen and add value to existing partnership/collaborative working arrangements
• establish new partnership/collaborate working arrangements, including staff costs to release capacity to help with collaborative arrangements

The grant funding will be split into 2 different pots:

• Community and local level: up to £25,000 available per successful application:
  • Community: an area which is closely spatially located e.g. a town, a village, or neighbourhood
  • Local: an area of multiple communities in geographical proximity to one another e.g. a local authority (county council or county borough council) or a broader area which may border more than one local authority.
• Regional level: up to £125,000 available per successful application (Funding could support an area of more than one local authority (county council or county borough council) in a single geographical region area of Wales and/or within the footprint of an existing regional partnership. For example (but not limited to) a Public Service Board area, Corporate Joint Committee, Health Board or Regional Partnership footprint). 

A lead organisation must be identified as the grant recipient who will act as the grant holder and data controller. 2 named project contacts to be provided (these must be from separate organisations/departments). 

Successful applicants will deliver this work by 31 March 2026. As part of your application, you should outline the resources you will commit to and provide a proposed timeline for the activity.

To ensure Innovation and Collaboration, your application will need to:

• be distinguished from your regular programme of work and meet the criteria for the grant
• describe why collaborative working is needed, how it will add value and how it will involve/promote local partnership working
• show that strengthening of / breaking down barriers to collaboration is intended to impact on improved experiences and outcomes for children, young people and families in poverty in the future
• be designed to support a range of activities and interventions that are innovative and collaborative between sectors and/or regional partnerships on the issue of tackling child poverty

Successful applicants will be provided with a pro-forma self-assessment form to be completed and reviewed at intervals agreed as part of the grant monitoring process. 

A final completed pro-forma self-assessment and report on the successful bid must be provided to the Welsh Government at the end of the grant period.

All applications will need to provide evidence of how their project will be evaluated and provide value for money. For projects over £25,000, applications will be required to demonstrate how they intend to share (and where possible, embed) the learning from their successful bid.

We welcome applications which can offer engagement through Welsh for Welsh speaking communities and meet other language needs as relevant to the community to be engaged.

Please read the grant application guidance note (which includes a note of ineligible activities).

Apply by completing the application form.

• 5 March 2025: grant application window opens.
• 12 midnight 13 April 2025: grant application window closes.
• Week commencing 14 April 2025: applications will be considered.
• Week commencing 5 May 2025: grant applicants will be informed of funding decision.
• Week commencing 12 May 2025:  successful grant applicants announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefyndd and Chief Whip.

As advised in the Grant Application Guidance Note, no extension to the deadline for submission of 13 April 2025 will be granted, late applications will not be considered.