Third Sector Capacity Fund

The third sector in North East England

The term ‘third sector’ is used by the Government to describe the part of our economy that is ‘not for profit’. It includes voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals.

Third sector organisations range from very small operations run by volunteers, to large bodies delivering key services to the public.

However, they share common characteristics in that they are independent from Government and political parties, are value-driven, and reinvest any surpluses to further their social, environmental or cultural objectives.

One North East recognises the value and importance of the third sector to the region in several ways:

• It is an important part of the economy, employing significant numbers of people 
• It delivers vital services, often to those that other providers find it hard to help 
• It safeguards many key aspects of the social and cultural life of the region, and acts as a voice for the North East 
• It is an important source of innovation and creativity that will shape the future of the region

We are pleased to announce that the Third Sector Capacity Fund – a fund of £6 million over 4 years – has been approved by One North East and is open for applications from Monday 6 April 2009. For details please visit the website www.thirdsectorfund.org.uk for further information, fund criteria and details of the application process.

This fund will provide grant funding to third sector organisations in the North East of England in order to build the capacity of the sector to engage with, and deliver, sustainable economic development activities.

Building on the success of the pilot Third Sector Capacity Fund which ran from 2006-08, this new fund will allow third sector organisations to bid for activities such as:

• Projects supporting collaboration, partnership working and innovative activities, in order to build and strengthen financial and organisational capacity in the sector and activities that strengthen the sector’s ability to engage with and represent the voice of excluded groups in shaping the region’s future;
• Activities reducing grant dependency, preparing for commissioning and enabling the third sector to win and deliver public service contracts; and
• Activities which support the region in responding to the recession and rising levels of unemployment.

Grants are available for between one and three years up to a maximum of £150,000 per project.

The fund is managed on One North East’s behalf by Rocket Science and the North East Business Innovation Centre (BIC).

The Third Sector, for the purpose of this project, is defined as organisations sharing the following common characteristics (this definition is provided by the Office of the Third Sector, 2008):

• non-governmental
• value-driven 
• principally reinvest any financial surpluses to further social, environmental, or cultural objectives

If you have any queries on the Third Sector Capacity fund please contact:

Mike McGoldrick or Cherri Blissett:
Tel: 0191 230 8078
Email: info@thirdsectorfund.org.uk
Website: www.thirdsectorfund.org.uk