THE BRITISH EYESIGHT RESEARCH FOUNDATION: FIGHT FOR SIGHT SOCIAL CHANGE FUND
Grants of up to £30,000 are available to UK charitable organisations for projects that support and empower children and young people who are blind or vision impaired with the tools to live independent and fulfilling lives.
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o Application deadline: MONDAY 14th OCTOBER 2024 at 23:59.
o Funder: The British Eyesight Research Foundation (founded 2005. Charity number 1111438. Total charitable expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2023: £4,346,000).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), exempt charities (for example, educational establishments) Community Interest Companies (CICs) that are limited by guarantee, charitable companies limited by guarantee.
o Key words: Children and Young People, Blindness, Vision Impaired, At Risk of Losing Sight, Social Skills, Digital Skills, Self-Advocacy Skills, United Kingdom.
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The British Eye Foundation’s Fight for Life Social Change Fund is designed to fund sustainable projects that build connections and confidence for people who are blind and/or vision impaired or at risk of losing their sight.
Grants of up to £30,000 are available to charitable organisations across the UK for projects that support and empower children and young people with the tools to live independent and fulfilling lives. The Foundation states that the Fund is available to organisations:
o Of all sizes – don’t be put off applying if your organisation is small. The Foundation can help achieve change and is keen to hear from organisations of all sizes that are based in the community, people-powered, and are working to achieve local change.
o In all locations – the Foundation recognises that there are gaps in support around the UK for blind and vision impaired people. If you’re working in a part of the country where it feels like there’s a gap, the Foundation is particularly keen to hear from you.
o With all types of impact – if your work is not solely focused on vision loss, you may still be eligible for a grant for support from the Foundation. What matters to the Foundation is that projects must be inspired by the needs of, and barriers faced by, blind and vision impaired people, and plan to make a real difference to their lives.
Specifically, the Foundation is interested in work that builds social, digital and self-advocacy skills, so that vision impaired children and young people feel connected with each other, with their sighted peers, and with the wider communities around them. Applications are particularly welcomed from organisations who are collaborating in order to share best practice, deliver at scale or meet previously unmet need.
The Foundation wants to fund projects that address the following 3 key priority areas (please note that this is not a definitive list of projects: the Foundation welcomes applications that present additional innovative and creative ideas for projects under the 3 key priority areas):
1. Social Connections
o Programmes that encourage children and young people to forge long-lasting friendships and connections over time. This could involve connecting vision impaired children with one another based on shared interests or with sighted young people in their communities.
o Programmes that develop social skills that will ultimately facilitate and increase connections confidence in getting out and about, interacting in different places and with different people, engaging in group activities and pursuing hobbies and interests. This might be through creative or cultural activities, and
o Physical activities, including exercise and sports-based programmes that bring people together and facilitate improvements in well-being, resulting in young people feeling more confident and physically comfortable in getting out and about and being active.
2. Digital Inclusion
o Programmes that increase young people’s confidence in using technologies that can facilitate independence when out and about. This could include training and / or demonstrations of navigational apps.
o Projects that use technology in innovative ways to improve self-confidence and encourage creativity and connection. This might include programmes to experiment with podcast creation, video editing, or experimenting safely with social media, and
o Projects that provide technology training to lay foundations for employment and volunteering opportunities.
3. Personal Resilience and Self-advocacy
o Programmes that equip children and young people with the skills to confidently and safely navigate different environments, and interact with others, including articulating the reasonable adjustments or support they need.
o Workshops for parents and families to explore entitlements for younger children in education and beyond, and to offer advice for accessing different levels of support, and
o Services to help children and young people and their families through specialist counselling or psychological support.
Further information, guideline and details about how to apply is available on the British Eye Research Foundation Fight for Sight webpages.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Monday 14th October 2024.