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What do we fund?
Our mission is to enable women to be financially resilient. We fund initiatives that help us to reach our mission.
Our funding objectives are to:
- Provide a range of targeted financial support that helps disadvantaged women to have access to and control over personal economic resources, including access to flexible employment opportunities and supportive social and community networks
- To support civil society organisations to access the information, skills and resources they need to provide support for, prevent and mitigate the shocks and stresses of women who are financially vulnerable
- To reflect the lived experiences of financially vulnerable women to improve national and local government and employer policies
- Work together with expert partners to help more women
- Put women at the heart of evaluating our work and provide a bridge between practice and policy-making
- Identify how lessons have been learned and good practice is being implemented
- Raise awareness and support to increase our impact
In 2020 we are funding three streams through our grants to organisations:
- Funding for individuals via Community Grant Partners, previous grant round closed 19th June 2020, next round tbc
- Funding for frontline services for women, next grant round tbc
- Funding for strategic initiatives, next grant round tbc
For more information, please get in touch.
Who is it for?
We are able to provide funding for charities, social enterprises and other not-for-profit organisations.
Am I Eligible?
Funding is available to charities, social enterprises and other not-for-profit organisations that:
- Have a clear mission and project that is aligned to helping women become financially resilient
- Are well managed with clear governance structures
- Have robust financial procedures in place and are a going concern
- Are working with other local agencies and partners
- Provide venues and services which are open and accessible
- Are led by experienced trustees, staff and volunteers
- Have appropriate safeguarding measures and policies in place
Area of benefit
The Smallwood Trust’s area of benefit is the United Kingdom. We prioritise organisations that are based within the areas of most deprivation and/or work with our key groups:
- Women who have been in persistent poverty (being in relative income poverty in the current year and at least two of the three preceding years; Office of National Statistics, 2017)
- Women with multiple and complex needs who might include some on the following groups:
- Lone parents who are not working or receiving support from mainstream services
- Young women aged 18-30 years who are unemployed or economically inactive, including care leavers
- Black and minority ethnic groups, particularly those deemed most at risk such as women from migrant communities
- Women who have experienced or who are at risk of homelessness
- Women with depression and/or anxiety
- Women with disabilities
- Women looking after young children at the same time as caring for older relatives
- Women who are survivors of abuse
- Women with caring responsibilities
Living Wage Friendly Funder
We are a Living Wage Employer and Friendly Funder, which means that we would like to see a Living Wage in place for the posts we fund. For more information, please visit; https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage