Funding to improve the community transport network and promote access to quality wheelchairs.
National charity Motability has announced it will provide £50 million to UK charities and organisations in the accessible transport sector from 2022 to 2025, starting with two new funding streams:
- Community Transport Grants
- Wheelchair Sector Grants
Both programmes will offer grants of between £100,000 and £4 million for a maximum of three years.
There is a focus on medium and large charities and non-profit organisations with well-established ways of working. As such, applicants must have been active for three years, with an annual income of at least £150,000 in that time.
Community Transport Grants should be used to cover:
- Staffing and/or volunteer costs to increase supply of Community Transport services.
- Leasing or buying Community Transport vehicles
- Initiatives to influence transport strategy, policy and funding.
- Partnerships/collaborations which drive efficiency at the organisational and systems level.
- Best practice interventions to continue/scale up work.
Wheelchair Sector Grants should be used to:
- Help individuals to source quality equipment by topping up self-funding.
- Raise awareness of the challenges faced by disabled people in obtaining suitable, quality and affordable wheelchairs.
- Develop or improve programmes which fund high quality and affordable equipment.
- Support existing initiatives which provide best practice solutions but need further support to remain operational or expand.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
How To Apply
Applications can be made at any time.
Stage One applications are expected to receive a response within four months.
The following timescales for Stage Two applications apply:
- Under £1 million: assessed on a monthly basis.
- Over £1 million: assessed quarterly.
Full guidelines and a Stage One application form can be found on the Motability website.