12 February 2018
Women’s Vote Centenary Grants Scheme – Large Grant Fund Opens for England
Not-for-profit organisations have until 27 February to submit an application for a limited number of large grants for projects in England that celebrate the centenary of women gaining the right to vote.
The Government Equalities Office has established the £1.5 million Women’s Vote Centenary Grant scheme to mark the centenary of women gaining the right to vote in England. (The Representation of the People Act in 1918 extended the vote to women for the first time in the UK.)
The Fund has been divided into a large grant scheme and a small grant scheme. The large grant scheme is currently open to applications form not-for-profit organisations including voluntary and community organisations, registered charities, social enterprises and other not for profit companies or ventures, community benefit societies and co-operative societies, colleges and universities, and trade unions that meet the statutory definition of a trade union.
Museums, galleries and cultural organisations are encouraged to apply. Partnerships or consortia are able to apply for funding.
There are two funding rounds. Round 1, which is currently open for applications, has a budget of around £700,000 and will award grants of between £30,000 and £125,000. It is expected that around 8 to 12 projects will receive funding in this round. Round 2 which will open ‘around April’ 2018 will have around £400,000 and grants will be between £2,000 and £65,000.
The large grant fund has been established to create a lasting legacy for the centenary by supporting work that is important, engaging and genuinely standout. Projects must have regional or national (England) significance and have an impact beyond the project duration. The funding is intended to support the overall objectives for the centenary, which are:
- CELEBRATE, INSPIRE and REMEMBER: to increase national awareness and mark 100 years since women got the right to vote. This is for all groups.
- EDUCATE: to increase young people’s knowledge of UK democracy and its importance, and increase their democratic participation. The beneficiaries need to be young people aged 16-30 years.
- PARTICIPATE: to aspire to achieve gender parity in local and national politics by the centenary of the Equal Franchise Act by 2028. The beneficiaries need to be women aged 16 years and older.
Projects should have capability, capacity, reach and networks and they need to meet either or both the EDUCATE and PARTICIPATE objectives, and may optionally meet the CELEBRATE objective as well.
All projects, whether from round 1 or 2, must be completed by the end of December 2018.
The deadline for applications to Round 1 is 27 February 2018 (23:59).