Open for applications: 7 May 2008
Application closing date: 27 August 2008
Minimum grant: £10,001 ; Maximum grant: £500,000 for projects within one region.

Infrastructure services do vital work to help voluntary and community groups achieve their aims, through services such as training, providing information, representing community groups' interests, supporting networks and sharing good practice. The BASIS programme aims to ensure that voluntary and community organisations throughout England have access to high quality support that will help them be more effective.

In round one the Lottery Funded BASIS programme awarded £101 million to 206 voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations across England. They expect to award up to £50 million in round two. Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund's England Committee, said: "Through BASIS 2 the Fund is continuing to develop the provision of expert, consistent and sustainable services, across the range of voluntary and community sector organisations. This second round of BASIS is taking a much more targeted approach to ensure funding is used specifically to meet identified needs within third sector infrastructure support. (...) This support aims to fill the gaps remaining after BASIS 1 on both a regional and national level, ensuring the sector is fully equipped to operate to the best of its ability, ultimately improving the services it provides in enhancing lives and communities across the country."

For further information and application guidelines click here.