The government has launched a digital service for organisations applying for government grants, which could save up to £270m over the next two years
Find a Grant will make it easier for organisations to access government grant funding, as well as reduce duplication and cut time spent on grant applications by 72%. According to the Cabinet Office, the new digital service could save up to £270m through efficiences and fraud prevention. In addition, the service also intends to level the playing field, with 43% more funding awarded to organisations in the north of England.
Currently most departments that provide grant funding have their own services, but it will be mandatory for them to use the new service to advertise grants. So far, four departments have successfully completed a pilot, which has seen more 200 schemes, worth £5.3bn, advertised on the new service, with more than 93,000 people having accessed it. The pilot evaluation took place between October 2022 and April 2023, and saw over 104 grants from 13 organisations being awarded.
Each grant will have a brief description, the value of the grants available, the total funding pot and the closing date for applications. The interim findings found that the services helped save government and applicant time, with a 34% reduction in the amount of time spent on grant applications.
Theresa Shearer, chief executive officer at Enable, said: ‘Recent research has found that identifying and applying for grant funding is a significant and costly challenge for too many charities and social enterprises, diverting essential time and resources away from delivering for our beneficiaries. The Find a Grant service cuts through so much of that. This tool will make applying for grant funding a much faster and more efficient process for the team at Enable and charities across the country, boosting our sector’s productivity so we can make a greater impact supporting and delivering services in our communities.’
Alex Burghart, parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office, said: ‘This great new service will help organisations find the grants they need at speed – saving everyone time and money. That will allow us to focus more money and resources on things that matter to people’s lives, families and communities. This will increase accessibility and fairness, making sure that different regions of the UK get their fair share.’
For further information visit: Home – Find a grant (find-government-grants.service.gov.uk)
