The Together Energy Fund is NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS. The deadline to apply was Midday on Thursday the 26th of September 2024. We are delighted to announce that the Together Energy Fund is now open for applications from Community Centres in Greater Manchester. The Together Energy Fund has been established to provide funding to support community centres and community hubs across Greater Manchester to help them to be resilient in the face of rising energy costs. The Together Energy Fund is offering awards of up to £2,500. We will close for applications at midday on Thursday the 26th September 2024. Fund criteria The Together Energy Fund recognises that community centres and other multi-use indoor community hub spaces are often at the heart of their local community but are facing immense challenges due to rising energy costs. The Fund welcomes applications from community centres and community hubs based in any of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester. Who can apply? The Together Energy Fund aims to support community centres and hubs that are run by and for charities or other VCSE organisations and where a range of community activity takes place. This means community-based and locally led community centres and other multi-use indoor community spaces, that encourage people to get involved as volunteers and which are used by multiple local community groups and organisations. Whilst there is no annual income cap for applicants, if the fund is over-subscribed priority will be given to smaller organisations. Applicants must be based in one of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester. Centres run by statutory bodies or housing associations are not eligible to apply. How much can you apply for? The maximum award request that will be considered is £2,500. What can you apply for? The purpose of the Together Energy Fund is to alleviate the impact of rising utility costs on community centres and hubs and the knock-on impact that this has on the grassroots community groups and activities that they host. Funding is intended to help cover the costs of increases in gas and electricity bills, particularly over the upcoming winter period. You can only apply for direct energy supply costs. We expect the Fund to be popular and if over-subscribed the panel will prioritise applicants with less income as well as those applicants who have demonstrated how funding will contribute to providing a range of activities for your local community. We want to hear about the activities that take place, how many groups use your premises on a regular basis and how the community otherwise uses your space. Is there anything you can’t apply for? You can only apply for direct energy costs for the upcoming months and unfortunately, we can’t accept applications for energy costs that have been incurred before any award is made. If you’re not sure if we could consider your application for funding, please contact a member of the Forever Manchester Communities Team, email awards@forevermanchester.com and we’ll be happy to help. Supporting Documents For help and guidance on your groups supporting documents and to see what we require to be submitted alongside your application, please refer to our guidance which you can find here: For Supporting Information Please note that this information forms part of the Fund guidance and should be read in full before you start the application form. Deadline for Applications We will close for applications at midday on Thursday 26th September 2024. Any applications received after this time will not be considered. CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS How long will a decision take? We aim to let you know the outcome of your application to The Together Energy Fund by late November 2024. Please do not plan any additional spend until after you hear if your application has been successful. If you have any questions or have trouble completing your application, please contact us at awards@forevermanchester.com or phone 0161 214 0940. Our Frequently asked questions (FAQs) provide further information about our funding programmes, who can apply and the application process. About Together Based in Cheadle, Cheshire, specialist lender Together has been delivering secured lending for nearly 50 years, using its wealth of expertise and industry knowledge to consider individual circumstances to find a way to help its customers. Together offer a variety of specialist mortgages and secured loans for all sorts of people and businesses, which aren’t widely available through mainstream lenders. These include, personal mortgages, secured loans, bridging loans, commercial mortgages, buy-to-let mortgages, auction finance, and development finance.
