VAST Bursary Fund
A gift from us to you
About the Bursary Fund
The VAST Bursary Fund allows VAST members to get up to £500 towards a number our chargeable capacity building services.
From your year-end accounts to a couple of places on our chargeable training courses, the Bursary can help your organisation to access some of our chargeable business services.
VAST Business Services
Eligible services include:
Accountancy
and Payroll Services
Funding Application Support
Community Consultation Support
Project Evaluation Services
Bespoke Training Sessions
Places on Chargeable Training
Bursaries are available to Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations that are based in, or primarily working in Stoke-on-Trent or North Staffordshire.
Your organisation must be a member of VAST to submit a Bursary application. If you’re not already a VAST member, you can sign up here. VAST membership is free and once your membership is confirmed, you’ll be eligible to apply.
The details
Funding Amount
Application Deadline
Outcome Notification
up to £500
last Friday of the month
one month after deadline
The Bursary process
Check you're eligible
Please read the guidance, criteria, terms, and conditions document before applying for a Bursary.
Your organisation must be a not-for-profit, whether that’s a charity, CIC, social enterprise, voluntary organisation, or community group, operating in Stoke-on-Trent or North Staffordshire. Your organisation must also be a member of VAST with an annual income of less than £250,000 per year, and you should be able to provide a copy of your governing document. If you don’t have a governing document, we may be able to offer your board of Trustees some support to develop one.
Complete the application form
When completing the application, please provide as much detail as possible so our panel can assess your needs accurately. For example:
- If you’re applying for payroll services, please tell us the number of employees you have.
- For training applications, please explain your training needs or which of our chargeable sessions you would like to attend, together with the number of places you need.
- If you’re looking for some bid-writing support, please let us know the funder, project or idea, and your projected outcomes.
Keep an eye on your inbox
Once we’ve checked your application and everything’s good to go, we’ll send it to our panel for assessment. They’ll have a look at your application and if they’re happy to pass it for a Bursary, we’ll let you know via email.
If the service you apply for is likely to cost over £500, your application will be considered on a part-funded basis.
You’ll be notified of the panel’s decision on your application within one calendar month from the submission deadline (except for applications submitted between the November and January deadlines)
Use your award
If your application’s been successful, congratulations!
All you need to do now is get in touch, either through our contact us form, by phone on 01782 683030, or by emailing the contact in your notification email.
Your notification email will include the contact details for the person or team that you’ll be working with. You’ll need to contact them and make arrangements for the work to be carried out within six months of the date the notification email was sent to you. If you don’t get in touch by the deadline mentioned in your notification email, your Bursary award will automatically be withdrawn.
If you have any questions about the Bursary, or you would like some support in applying, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
*there is no deadline in December. Applications submitted after the last Friday in November will not be assessed until the Bursary panel held after the January deadline. For example, an application submitted on Saturday 30th November 2024 will be sent to the panel for assessment with the applications from the Friday 31st January 2025 deadline.