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TK Access Solutions


Community Fund


What is the TK Access Solutions Community Fund?

Our Community Fund award grants to North East based groups and organisations that inspire teamwork and innovation.

The fund is open to grassroots clubs, Ofsted registered educational providers, community and not for profit groups and social enterprises.

All you have to do is to propose, in no more than 250 words, how the grant will be used to promote togetherness and innovation in your community.

Step 1: Apply Online

Applications for the TK Access Solutions Community Fund must be submitted online by 30th September 2023.

To apply, click the ‘Apply now’ button and follow the application process.

You’ll need to submit no more than 250 words on how your group or organisation would use the grant to inspire teamwork or innovation and upload a maximum of two images to support your application. Submit information about your group or organisation including your treasurer’s name and contact details, and proof that your group/organisation is affiliated with a professional body (e.g. Ofsted registration number, registered charity number).

Step 2: Review

Once the deadline for applications has passed, we will review applications and we will let you know if your application has been successful by Friday 6th October 2023.

Step 3: Public Voting

If you’re successful, we will publish your project on our website from Monday 9th October 2023 and open voting for the general public until Friday 3rd November 2023.

All successful applications will be featured on this website including your application text and image. The general public will be able to vote for the projects (two votes max per person) they want to receive the grants. TK Access Solutions will promote the voting process via this website, social media channels, press and other communication channels. You’re also encouraged to promote your own successful application once voting is open.

The 23 applicants with the most votes will be awarded a grant. The most voted for project will receive a top award of £1,500, followed by a second prize of £750, a third prize of £500 and 20 awards of £250. All winners and runners up will continue to feature on this website.

TK Access Solutions reserves the right to disqualify or reject votes if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that fraudulent voting has occurred or if it considers there has been any attempt to rig the voting. This includes the deletion of votes made with the use of fake or ‘disposable’ email addresses.

Eligibility Guidelines / FAQ’s

The group or organisation

The group or organisation must be affiliated to a professional body, have an affiliation or registration number. The group or organisation will be asked to upload supporting evidence such as a letter of affiliation, a screen shot showing affiliation if registered online, an Ofsted report or similar, as proof of this.

The group or organisation must have a treasurer or financial administrator for funds to be made payable to via cheque. The group or organisation should correctly state the name and contact details of their treasurer on the application.

The project

All proposed projects must benefit communities based in the North East of England, within the local authority boroughs of Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hambleton, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar & Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton and Sunderland.

Your project must be for new costs associated with stimulating teamwork or innovation in your group or organisation. Eligible projects can include:

  • Start-up costs for new projects
  • Extension and development of existing projects
  • Purchase of equipment and resources
  • Leverage: where the Community Fund would release funding from other sources
  • Conservation projects: where funding would help develop or maintain venues.
  • Group excursions

Application process

Applicants must apply online and provide clear and correct information that truthfully reflects their group or organisation and demonstrates exactly how they would propose to use the awarded grant.

Applications must be completed by the stated deadline. Information about the relevant deadlines can be found on this website.

Applications received by the deadline that are missing supporting information and/or without all of the questions answered are not considered complete. Incomplete applications may be deferred or withdrawn.

TK Access Solutions has the right to refuse the grant if a successful applicant is found to have submitted a fraudulent or untruthful application.

What makes a good application:

To create a good application, make sure to take the following steps:

  • Let us know how this grant would directly benefit the people in your group or organisation.
  • Outline all the key details of your project, including specifics about how you would use the grant
  • Explain what your group or organisation does
  • Show credibility: Present your group or organisation as a credible and trustworthy recipient of the grant
  • Input the correct data: Any mistakes or incorrect information surrounding your group or organisation data could impact the success of your application. Remember, if your application is successful it will be displayed online as you have submitted it. It is your responsibility to make sure that all information is correct at the time of submission
  • Appear professional: Your 250 word entry should be clear and correctly spelt. Do not include any form of inappropriate language. Doing so will result in your application being voided
  • Stick to the guidelines: Provide the right size and format of supporting imagery and keep to the 250 word count
  • Be time-conscious: Allow plenty of time so you don’t rush your application; give your group or organisation the best chance possible

Can my group or organisation apply for the same grant multiple times?

You can only apply for one grant even if you have multiple projects that you’re looking to fund, we can only accept one application per group or organisation.

Where does our group or project have to be based?

All proposed projects must benefit communities in the North East of England within the local authority boroughs of Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hambleton, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar & Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton and Sunderland.

How much can we apply for?

TK Access Solutions is offering a top award of £1,500 to the application that receives the most public votes in an online poll, with £750 and £500 awarded to the second and third placed projects. Another 20 winners will receive a grant of £250.

What are the timescales?

You’re invited to apply for the Community Fund from Friday 1st July to Friday 30th September 2022.

Successful applications will appear on the website and the public voting period will take place between Tuesday 4th October to Friday 4th November 2022.

The top 23 applicants will then be awarded a grant, with the most voted for project receiving a larger grant of £1,500.

All sections on the application form must be completed fully before the application can be considered.

How does the voting work?

If your application is successful, your project will feature on this website. The general public, your friends, family and supporters will be invited to vote (one time max per person) on this website within a one-month period. You will need to register to vote. Once the voting period has ended, the 23 applicants with the most public votes will be awarded a grant. Applicants will not be eligible to vote for their own application.

How are the Grants paid?

All monies approved will be paid by bank transfer into the group/organisations bank account which must not be an individual or joint person’s account. We MUST receive proof of bank details (such as a paying in slip or bank statement) and we will only request this if your funding has been awarded.

Last Years Community Fund

Find out more about last years groups and how the TK Access Solutions community fund helped them!

Whickham Fellside Youth Football Club
Whickham Fellside Youth Football Club

Crawcrook United Football and Futsal Club
Crawcrook United Football and Futsal Club

U12 and U14 Girls section Ryton RFU
U12 and U14 Girls section Ryton RFU