Child Poverty Innovation and Supporting Communities grant
A grant to enable innovation in collaboration between sectors and/or regional partnerships relating to child poverty.
The grant is available to support public and third sector organisations in their efforts to achieve the following:
Enhance the capacity of organisations to form collaborative working arrangements to address child poverty, linked to one or more of the 5 objectives of the Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024.
Support organisations working together to enhance effective communication, joint working and knowledge transfer in responding to child poverty at the regional, local or community level.
Grant funding is available to:
progress, strengthen and add value to existing partnership/collaborative working arrangements
establish new partnership/collaborate working arrangements, including staff costs to release capacity to help with collaborative arrangements
The grant funding will be split into 2 different pots:
Community and local level: up to £25,000 available per successful application:
Community: an area which is closely spatially located e.g. a town, a village, or neighbourhood
Local: an area of multiple communities in geographical proximity to one another e.g. a local authority (county council or county borough council) or a broader area which may border more than one local authority.
Regional level: up to £125,000 available per successful application (Funding could support an area of more than one local authority (county council or county borough council) in a single geographical region area of Wales and/or within the footprint of an existing regional partnership. For example (but not limited to) a Public Service Board area, Corporate Joint Committee, Health Board or Regional Partnership footprint).
A lead organisation must be identified as the grant recipient who will act as the grant holder and data controller. 2 named project contacts to be provided (these must be from separate organisations/departments).
Who can apply
Successful applicants will deliver this work by 31 March 2026. As part of your application, you should outline the resources you will commit to and provide a proposed timeline for the activity.
To ensure Innovation and Collaboration, your application will need to:
be distinguished from your regular programme of work and meet the criteria for the grant
describe why collaborative working is needed, how it will add value and how it will involve/promote local partnership working
show that strengthening of / breaking down barriers to collaboration is intended to impact on improved experiences and outcomes for children, young people and families in poverty in the future
be designed to support a range of activities and interventions that are innovative and collaborative between sectors and/or regional partnerships on the issue of tackling child poverty
Successful applicants will be provided with a pro-forma self-assessment form to be completed and reviewed at intervals agreed as part of the grant monitoring process.
A final completed pro-forma self-assessment and report on the successful bid must be provided to the Welsh Government at the end of the grant period.
All applications will need to provide evidence of how their project will be evaluated and provide value for money. For projects over £25,000, applications will be required to demonstrate how they intend to share (and where possible, embed) the learning from their successful bid.
We welcome applications which can offer engagement through Welsh for Welsh speaking communities and meet other language needs as relevant to the community to be engaged.
Restrictions
The support on offer cannot be used to fund existing service delivery or members of a core team. The funding also cannot be used for the following activities:
Activities for which other funding is received, unless there is a clear additionality to the work.
Core costs for organisations that are not directly related to the project delivery.
Funding to deliver existing services, unless there is a clear case for testing a new model of service delivery specifically targeting children in poverty or families of children in poverty that could be integrated into future service delivery if there was evidence of effectiveness
Additional capacity to fulfil statutory child poverty reporting functions or other statutory requirements
Profit-making, fundraising activities or activities that results in private gain
Contingency costs, loans, endowments, or interest
Political or religious activities
VAT where it can be reclaimed
Statutory requirements
Overseas travel
Collaborative activities which include the private sector are welcomed but the funding is not available to fund any direct costs to a private sector partner.
Community level grant - up to the value of £5,000
Successful applications for smaller value grants to the value of up to £5,000 will be provided with a pro-forma self-assessment form to be completed and reviewed at points agreed as part of the grant monitoring process.
A final completed pro-forma self-assessment and report on the successful bid must be provided to the Welsh Government at the end of the grant period.
This pro-forma will include a requirement to demonstrate the consideration of evidence from those with lived experience of poverty. This may include evidence that is already available.
Applicants should clearly set out how the strengthening of collaboration through the pilot is intended to impact on improved experiences and outcomes for children, young people and families in poverty in the future.
Successful applications for smaller value grants will also be required to demonstrate how they intend to share (and where possible, embed) the learning from the pilot at a local level.
Local and Regional level grants - £5,000+ and up to the value of £100,000
All applications for grants over the value of £5,000 and up to the value of £100,000 must include in their applications information about their approach to evaluation of the activity delivered under the grant.
This may include contracting an independent evaluation. This will be particularly important for grants over the value of £25,000. Applications from organisations working in partnership with evaluation or research consultants or bodies are welcomed. Costs related to the evaluation of the pilot should be clearly set out in the grant application.
Applicants should clearly set out how the strengthening of collaboration through the pilot is intended to impact on improved experiences and outcomes for children, young people and families in poverty in the future.
In addition, applicants will be provided with a pro-forma self-assessment form to be completed and reviewed at points agreed as part of the grant monitoring process.
A final completed pro-forma self-assessment and report on the successful bid must be provided to the Welsh Government at the end of the grant period.
This pro-forma will include a requirement to demonstrate the consideration of evidence from those with lived experience of poverty. This may include evidence that is already available to the organisations.
Successful applications for larger value grants will also be required to demonstrate how they intend to share (and where possible, embed) the learning from the successful bid at a local and regional level
How to apply
Apply by completing the application form. https://www.gov.wales/child-poverty-innovation-and-supporting-communities-grant-application-form
Email your completed application to: childpovertyinnovationandsupportingcommunitiesgrant@gov.wales.
If you need the application form in an alternative format, please email: childpovertyinnovationandsupportingcommunitiesgrant@gov.wales.
Useful Links
https://www.gov.wales/child-poverty-innovation-and-supporting-communities-grant-application-form