New fund for innovative community learning Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - 09:00

The Community Learning Innovation Fund (CLIF) - a new £4million grants fund from the Skills Funding Agency, managed by NIACE - is now closed for applications. We would like to thank everyone who has submitted a bid and we will notify all applicants of the outcome of their applications on Thursday 16 August 2012.

The fund will provide grants between £10,000 and £65,000 to groups and organisations from across England for new and imaginative community learning opportunities to encourage adults to take up, succeed and progress in learning. It will support projects - which will run from September 2012 to July 2013 - to develop and offer creative learning opportunities that support the objectives set out in the recent policy reform document from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), New Challenges, New Chances.

Funding will be awarded to projects which best illustrate the development of creative community learning provision that will:

• widen participation in learning and transform people's destinies;
• promote social renewal and develop stronger communities;
• maximise the impact of community learning on individuals, families and communities;
• effectively sustain the impact of the learning; and
• align the project with the work of emerging Community Learning Trusts, a distinct but complementary initiative recently announced by BIS.

Geoff Russell, Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, said:

"I am pleased to announce this Fund. We have recently celebrated Adult Learners' Week, and been inspired by how learning can transform people's lives by giving them increased self-confidence, a better quality of life, building stronger families and communities. We know there is no one-size fits all model of learning, and what is really exciting about this Fund is that it empowers community organisations to think creatively about how they respond to the needs of local people in a sustainable way."

Sue O'Gorman, NIACE Programme Manager, said:

"We have seen with the recent Adult and Community Learning Fund how even a very small project can make a huge difference to the lives of individuals, their families and the communities they live in. We are delighted that the Skills Funding Agency has been able to continue their vital support for these kinds of initiatives. We want to hear from groups and organisations from across the country which recognise the kind of learning that adults want and need in their communities. Together we can help transform the destinies of some of the most marginalised people in society by helping them to progress in ways that are most relevant to their lives."