The Department of Health’s Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF) will be launching its third local grant scheme in late spring 2012.
The programme has been designed to increase capacity in volunteering in health and social care. In 2011 a total of £1.15m was awarded to 93 funded local (2010 /2011) projects. Click here for information on which organisations we funded in 2011.
Competition for the current round of funding is likely to be high.  It is anticipated that between 40 and 45 organisations will receive funding up to a maximum of £50,000 for multi-annual projects. Criteria for applying include: being locally constituted, having a track record in health and social care activity, having an established volunteer base, and having policies on equality, health and safety, and safeguarding of children and adults already in place.

About the local grant scheme
The programme is driven by clear strategic priorities that support the Big Society agenda in the health and adult social care field, as well as key health service priorities.
Local volunteering charities, community organizations or social enterprises, co-operatives, mutuals and other not-for profit organizations with social aims will be able to make an application and will be asked to apply under one of the following themes:

Theme 1: Individual Choice and Control: Care and Support
Theme 2: Delivering Better Health and Care Outcomes
Theme 3: Improving Public Health
Theme 4: Improving Health and Social Care
Theme 5: Building Capable Communities

The HSCVF is a comprehensive funding scheme offering both grant funding and tailored capacity-building support for successful organisations.

Grants will be awarded for projects that demonstrate their potential to develop new, improved and/or streamlined systems in health and social care volunteering rather than projects that aim to simply supply core services. Ongoing funding for existing services will not be supported.

Successful projects will also participate in the support package which aims to build organisational capacity that will assist with longer term sustainability. Organisations should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 days to these activities per annum, and should include travel costs to activities within their project budget. Click here for more information about the support package.

How to reserve your place
Interested parties can register to attend the pre-application event by completing the online booking form (follow the links below).Pre- application events have been organised to provide:

• further information on the programme's remit
• guidance on completing the application process
• The opportunity for one-to-one discussions with organisations about the eligibility of their project ideas. Please note that the advice sessions are not designed to work with you to draft your application responses, but rather to give you honest feedback that will guide your thoughts and ideas.

Half-day information events will be held in Leeds, London and Birmingham to interested VCSEs on the following dates.To be able to attend one of these sessions we request that you complete the online booking form by 11 (Leeds) and 15 (London & Birmingham) May 2012 .

Leeds: Tuesday 15 May – click here to sign up
London: Tuesday 22 May – click here to sign up
Birmingham: Monday 28 May – click here to sign up

Timings for the sessions in each location are:

Morning session – Registration 9.15 for 9.30 start till 1pm (this is the anticipated end time for the last advice session)
Afternoon session – Registration 1.30 for 1.45pm start till 5.30pm (this is the anticipated end time for the last advice session)