BIG Assist programme extended

An extra £1million of funding will be made available to local infrastructure bodies as part of a 12-month extension to the BIG Assist programme. The funding will be provided by the Big Lottery Fund and distributed by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations.

The original three-year programme, which was run by the same organisations, provided £2million of funding a year to help local infrastructure bodies.

The programme provides vouchers of up to £15,000 which support charities can use to identify and address gaps in capacity, and offers learning and networking. The programme received 947 applications.

The programme will now reportedly focus on continuing to evaluate how the BIG Assist programme is changing infrastructure, as well as consulting with funders and stakeholders in a bid to secure funding beyond the 12-month extension.

For further information on the programme, for which One East Midlands is a registered supplier, visit www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/bigassist.