Engage for Funding webinars return on 15 April for a new spring season. The first three sessions combined will empower participants to develop stories from data, embrace collaborative practices and to engage with audiences on social media in more meaningful ways. Read more
Hotly anticipated tickets for the new Birmingham Community Lottery are now on sale, with the first weekly draw taking place on Saturday 30 March. At a cost £1 each, winners could scoop up to £25,000. Read more
Is your home warm? Do you need some advice or support? Ecobirmingham were at Stirchley Baths at a Cost-of-Living event on March 14th, providing free home energy advice. If you have concerns such as the house is always cold, there is mould and damp in the property, the cost of bills are high, or you are in fuel debt, then get in touch with us. Read more
We would love to bring Birmingham together for the Big Help Out 2024 and encourage citizens to get involved in a weekend of volunteering action that supports local people, communities, services and good causes across the city. Be part of it to make a difference, raise awareness, recruit new volunteers, and involve them in innovative ways. Read more
Footsteps - Faiths for a Low Carbon Future is one of the seven community organisations that make up BrumEnergy. Footsteps’ role in this project is to connect BrumEnergy with Birmingham’s faith communities. Read more
Open Conversations are open to everyone who works or volunteers in health and care in the NHS, Local Authorities and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector across Birmingham and Solihull. Read more
BVSC Grants are seeking expressions of interest for a Community Engagement Partner who can work with key VCFSE partners to support their work within communities to promote Compassionate Communities as well as death and dying matters conversations. We are keen for communities to be more confident in having discussions around death and dying whilst seeking support where necessary around these themes. Read more
BrumEnergy partners Footsteps and Birmingham Green Doors organised this workshop to help faith community members share the benefits of using heat pumps in place of gas boilers. Read more
The Why Teens podcast was nominated in the Project of the Year category at the Inspirational Youth Awards Birmingham 2024. Read more
Did you know your organisation can receive funding every time your volunteers, employees, or staff shop online? Their everyday shopping can transform into a continual income stream for your organisation. You can raise up to £100 over a year, just from one person doing their weekly food shop, raise up to £45 each time someone switches their household bills, and raise up to £60 when they book a holiday. Find out how this free service works. Read more
Watch Me Play! is a way of supporting babies and young children (aged from 0-7) and their caregivers. Developed with the needs of young children in care in mind, the approach has been found helpful in a wide range of contexts, including perinatal service, post-adoption, young parents, supervised contact, as well as for children who have emerging but unclear needs, and as a first line or waiting list intervention. Read more
Businesses and individuals across the West Midlands are being urged to ‘rise up’ in a special month-long event aimed at tackling youth unemployment across the region. Read more
Applications are now closed. Grants available to support organisations working with citizens who are poorly housed or at risk of homelessness, through capacity building funding for organisations already engaging with these cohorts in the community. Read more
Applications have opened for community organisations to bid for Citywide Small Grants, being made available via Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System’s Fairer Futures Fund. Read more
YMCA Sutton Coldfield to appear on The One Show Monday 11th March. Read more
As part of our activity to help Birmingham enact the Vision for Volunteering, we have put together a variety of free resources, guides, top tips and templates. These resources will support you to attract, recruit and involve volunteers in ways that celebrate difference, enable collaboration and show appreciation to your volunteers for their incredible efforts. Read more
Voluntary organisations in our area have just received a share of £1.6m in easyfundraising donations, meaning they can update their facilities, buy new equipment, and improve their services. Through easyfundraising, 8,000 online retailers including Sainsbury’s, eBay, Amazon, M&S, Just Eat and Argos will donate money to your organisation. To find out more and receive funds in easyfundraising’s next #donationday in May. Read more
As of 15th February 2024, there are over 375 cases of confirmed and probable cases of measles across Birmingham. The majority of cases are unvaccinated, and most are children aged 10 or under. The most affected cases live in the areas of highest deprivation in Birmingham. All ethnicities are affected. Please note that the porcine free vaccine, Priorix, is available for those who do not accept pork products. Read more
This week Birmingham City Council revealed that £300 million of cuts will be made to Council services in order to balance its 2024/2025 budget. BVSC CEO Brian Carr has assured the sector that BVSC is continuing to facilitate conversations with the Council to explore ways to navigate the challenges and minimise the impacts on our city's residents and community groups. Read more
More than 80 good causes have already signed up to the new Birmingham Community Lottery. Organisations ranging from youth initiatives, mental health charities and arts projects to community parks and friends groups have taken up the offer to give their fundraising a boost. It’s not too late for other causes to get involved as there’s no limit to how many can join. Read more
80,000 students study in Birmingham across 8 universities. Many of them look to volunteer during their time here to get to know the city, meet people and gain skills and experience. This Student Volunteers Week, Sam from Birmingham City University (BCU) gives some advice on how you can engage students in volunteering. Read more
Join us at our Engage for Funding Forum webinars in the run up to Easter when we'll have a fantastic line-up of topics and speakers. Join our mailing list and you'll receive regularly updates about forthcoming activities. Hope to see you soon! Read more
The number of people who are worried about being out of pocket if they volunteer has risen from 5% in 2019 to 14% in 2023. Birmingham’s amazing volunteers give up their time to support some of the city's most vulnerable people. The Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector needs volunteers to help deliver vital services now more than ever. In this blog, we consider some steps that you can take to effectively involve volunteers during the cost-of-living crisis. Read more
BVSC is delighted to welcome three new trustees to its board following an open recruitment process in December. Joining the Trustee Board are Junaid Akhtar, Ajit Singh Ubhi of Nishkam Civic Association and Andy Cave of Healthwatch Birmingham & Solihull. Read more