Our charitable status enables us to seek external funding for community activities that support our aims.

European Social Fund (ESF) Co Finance with Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough Council
An additional £95,000 to add to the £34,150 awarded in 2009/10 and the £170,000 awarded in 2008/9, to extend our project to create sustainable employment opportunities for housing association tenants across Bedfordshire.

Communities and Local Government and The Department of Work & Pensions – Get Digital Fund – administered through NIACE
£7,000 to provide IT equipment and tutor led sessions to help our older residents at our Luton care schemes get to grips with the Internet and Online services.

Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities – administered through the Learning Partnership
£10,000 to fund a film project at The Foyer to challenge people’s perceptions about homelessness and Foyer residents.

Garfield Weston Foundation
£5,000 to provide furniture for the new women’s refuge in Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes.

Heritage Lottery Fund
£14,703 to fund a collaborative history film project between The Foyer, Bedford Museum and Bedford Creative Arts.

Huntingdon District Council
£36,900 (total award £107, 938) for ‘New Communities’ development work at Loves Farm.

Economic Participation
£11,966 (total award £14,500) for The Learning Network.

The Department of Work and Pensions via a Bedford Borough Council Partnership
£18,929 (total award £31,500) funding for 6 x six month positions for the Future Jobs Fund project.

Housing Challenge Fund via Bedford Borough Council £66,414 for the Family Intervention Project.

Other grants have been awarded from Sport England and the National House Building Council.

bpha also provides fundraising support to residents’ groups to enable them to develop their own projects locally. Successes this year have included:

Northamptonshire Grassroots
£3,944 was awarded to Southbrook Youth Club to fund the hire of their hall and an activities budget

Waitrose – Community Matters
£360 for the Golden Gardens resident group to create and distribute their own newsletter in Goldington and Putnoe, Bedfordshire.