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People living with disabilities will have greater access to information technology as part of today’s funding announcement from the Big Lottery Fund’s BASIS programme.

A total of 21 organisations across England are sharing £8.3 million in awards providing support and increasing the effectiveness of the third sector.

The largest grant, £699,644, has been awarded to AbilityNet, to support its ‘Sustaining Switched On Communities’ initiative.

The project offers people with disabilities living across England assistance in using IT to increase independence and maximise their potential. Through a cascade approach, knowledge, skills and materials will be provided to community partners, who train voluntary and community organisations (VCOs), and in turn provide improved facilities and services to individuals with disabling conditions.

Nigel Lewis, Chief Executive, AbilityNet, said: “When IT is accessible, it is a great enabler for disabled people.  It provides them with an increased level of independence and gives them access to services that were previously denied to them on account of their disability.  People who are unable to write or speak are able to communicate with friends and family whether they be across the room or across the world; people that would usually have to ask for assistance when they do their banking or shopping, now have the choice to do it independently on the internet; it provides inclusive education opportunities and enables disabled people to have a much wider choice of jobs available to them.  

“With the fantastic support from the Big Lottery Fund and DSGI, AbilityNet will work with voluntary organisations across the country, bringing accessible IT to local communities through this initiative, ‘Sustaining Switched On Communities’.”

A second England-wide project receiving funding is Charities Evaluation Services (CES). The funding will allow the organisation to develop an externally assessed, national ‘Quality Mark’ for PQASSO (practical quality assurance system for small organisations). The project has been given £497,633 to improve the existing PQASSO, which is the most widely used quality assurance system across the voluntary sector.

External peer reviewers will be trained by CES to assess VCOs for the quality mark. The project will enhance the quality and credibility of the voluntary sector, enable VCOs to demonstrate their professionalism and effectiveness, act as a catalyst to improve services and stimulate sharing of learning amongst organisations.

Colin Nee, CES, Chief Executive, welcomed the news: “We are all delighted that the BASIS programme will be helping us establish the new PQASSO Quality Mark service.

“PQASSO is the most popular quality system in the third sector and has played a vital role in helping the sector get to grips with quality assurance. This new 'kite mark' will be available to organisations which have adopted PQASSO. Given the huge spread of PQASSO users, the new service will mean in time that we are accrediting and celebrating quality throughout the third sector.

“Organisations that opt to go for the PQASSO Quality Mark will do so for a variety of reasons; some because they want a public acknowledgement of their commitment and achievement, others and because they feel it will confer more credibility and public recognition.

“The purpose of the PQASSO Quality Mark is to provide external verification of organisations’ achievement against the PQASSO standard. It’s about celebrating achievement, and the external component will be by way of peer review, ensuring that the learning from the whole process stays within the sector."

Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund England Committee, said: “The BASIS programme is continuing to build the capacity of the voluntary and charitable sector, so that it can be more sustainable and operate to the best of its ability. Through the programme we are funding a range of projects working at national, regional or local levels, ultimately ensuring a better outcome for the people and causes that voluntary and community organisations support.”

Other awards announced today have gone to organisations that work to improve the effectiveness of their local third sector organisations.

To view the awards click here

The BASIS programme was devised following extensive public consultation and discussions with the voluntary and community sector. The programme aims to develop the provision of expert, consistent and sustainable services across the range of voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as established charities and voluntary groups.

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

 Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.