the community radio toolkit

Monday 13th February was the DCMS Manchester event which followed a unique discussion between approximately 18 stations. Called ‘Plugging the Gap’, this was an ideas swap with the objective of discussing unusual ways to plug the funding gap . Its focus is on covering individual station solutions as well as co-operative and national solutions.

This blog post recorded the ideas being discussed. It has now been updated with some audio recorded on the day …

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Below are the latest funding and personal development schemes which are currently accepting applications. They are listing in order of deadline and we thank Tamar Millen at the CMA for sending many of them through. At the top of the page is the Funding Central automated update of new funds. If you know of another or would like your scheme to be added to this page, let us know.

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3 Comments | In: Funding, News, resources | tags: arts council, asda foundation, awards, Awards for Bridging Cultures, co-operative membership fund, development, digitally excluded, Europe, european funds, European Youth in Action Programme, eyf, Funding, grants, joseph rowntree, nesta, philip lawrence awards, Reuben Foundation, support disadvantaged groups, ukonline, volunteering scheme, Woodward Charitable Trust, youth sector. | #

The second round for funding applications in 2011/12 opened on 19 October and will close at 5pm on 16 November 2011. The Community Radio Fund Panel will meet to consider applications on 30 January 2012. Grants can only be made to community radio licensees who are broadcasting under a community radio licence (and not an RSL, for example).

The latest application form and guidance notes are available here. Please also see statements detailing the outcome of previous Panel meetings before writing your application as this contains useful advice.

The Community Radio Fund end of year report: 2010/11 is available here (pdf) which details recent grants made and feedback from recipients. It also highlights the grant reduction over the next 4 years which sees the grant reduced from £465,000 in 2007/08 to £430,000 for the financial year 2014/15. This is despite the sector continuing to grow. Ofcom cite that “at the end of the 2010/11 financial year there were 187 stations broadcasting with a further 23 preparing to launch. This compares to 137 broadcasting in 2008/09 and 175 in 2009/10.”

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The European Community is providing a grant for participation of up to 100% of the costs in the framework of the Comenius/Grundtvig mobility programme (in service training). The META course takes place from June 20th to June 26th 2012 in Algodonales/Cadiz/Spain. The course is registered, it has received a course number and is uploaded at the Comenius/Grundtvig mobility database.
https://webgate.cec.eu.int/socratescourses/db/Na/admin/login/index.cfm?fuseaction=register

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On July 31st Voice Radio closed its doors following the ceasing of broadcasts on 20th July.  The station had launched its DAB service on 4th January 2011.  The station staff cited a lack of funding, particularly over the school holiday period. The majority of its funding came from local schools that have seen their budgets reduced.

A statement on their website reads:

It is with regret that we inform you our listeners that Voice Radio has stopped broadcasting as of midnight on July 20th 2011.  Due to lack of funding the station will sadly close its door on the 31st July 2011

We would like to thank you all for your continued support over the last 5 years which made this station such a great success. We have had a great time and some wonderful experiences and adventures.  We would like to say a huge thank you to all our presenters, committee and Volunteers for all their hard work, commitment and dedication.

Thank you all.

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The community radio fund panel met in June to assess the first round of applications to the 2011-12 fund totalling £442,000. There was a move towards funding projects and posts where the main priority was to enhance station sustainability. The full statement can be read on the Ofcom website. We reproduce below their statement on priorities and those stations awarded in this round. …

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Ofcom Community Radio Fund have announced the recipients of a grant from the second round of applications. The full statement can be read on the Ofcom website. Main points about the decisions made and the recipients are detailed as follows:

Ofcom’s Community Radio Fund Panel met on Monday 24 January 2011 to consider applications for the second round of grant awards for 2010/11. In summary:

• The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) allocated £463,000 towards the Community Radio Fund for 2010/11
• In the first round of funding in June 2010, the Panel made grants totalling £208,634,leaving £254,366 for the second round
• A further £2,500 was returned to the fund from a previous grant recipient
• 64 applications were considered
• Funding applications totalled £1,196,138.46
• 15 applicants were awarded grants which totalled £256,866
• 49 applicants were not awarded a grant

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1 Comment | In: News | tags: community radio fund, Funding, grants, ofcom. | #

Recent problems at Chorley FM highlight many of the issues facing community radio stations around the country at present. The recession and reduced funding pots means 2010 was a very difficult year with 2011 looking just as challenging.

The Chorley Guardian ran this story a week ago with station manager Allan Scott stating that the station risked closure by March if funds weren’t raised for the £12,000 a year running costs.

We are pleased to see the local press has gained the station some much needed emergency funding however their long term future is still precarious. Allan said of the donations from local councillors, advertisers and the public:

“It’s been overwhelming but if we don’t raise a significant sum of money we’ll be like the dodo – extinct. The support has come as a real boost for everyone at the station but we are still searching for the cash lifeline to secure our future.”

Chorley FM’s difficulties and the resulting response to the news coverage demonstrates the amount of work still required by stations and the sector to highlight the importance of community radio and its funding needs.  Toolkit would be interested to hear your experiences of how you are dealing with the current stressful financial operating environment.

1 Comment | In: News | tags: advetising, allan scott, chorley fm, closure, Funding. | #

Community Radio Toolkit co-writer and ALL FM associate Ally Fogg has just published an analysis of the big society initiative after its first six months.

On the concept of ‘big society’ he points out what we all know within the charitable and voluntary sector, that:

the new government’s aspirations seemed far from fanciful. We spend every day supporting Britain’s millions of volunteers as they work to improve the lives of those around them, helping those in need, strengthening communities, cleaning up neighbourhoods, perhaps taking opportunities to learn new skills and improve their own prospects in the process. Our reaction to the “big society” was not disbelief or mockery, but a slightly exasperated cry: “But that’s what we’ve been doing for years!”

Though much of the article centres on the decreasing funding of publicly funded and supported charities, the article shows the potential ripple out effect of such structural changes. This encroaches on community radio funding as we all know.

Of course, many charities and voluntary projects are not funded from taxpayers’ cash, but that is little comfort. As statutory funding dries up, all projects chase the same ever-decreasing pots of charitable funds, trusts and private donations, significantly reducing the chances of securing new funds.

You can read the full article and the comments at the Guardian website.

We welcome all perspectives on topics like this due to the importance with community radio funding and the volunteers we work with daily. If you have an article to share, email us.

1 Comment | In: News | tags: all fm, ally fogg, big society, charity, Funding, grants, volunteers. | #