Funded organisations and projects

The Action Group – £20,000

The second of a three year project in Scotland that helps people with learning disabilities and other support needs. Assisting clients and their carers to secure their correct entitlements and ensure that their responsibilities are met in full. We provide one to one advice, practical assistance and advocacy on complex enquiries relating to tax credits and other HMRC products. Also, delivering training courses to non-specialist professionals, which help them to support people with a learning disability through the system.

Advice NI - £25,000

A project to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of advisers, VCS staff and community champions whilst helping to ensure hard to reach and vulnerable customers across Northern Ireland understand eligibility and entitlement rules and ultimately are receiving the correct amount of tax credits entitlements. This project also aims to improve the whole Tax Credit customer experience by using innovative and user friendly technology that will contribute to breaking down potential take up barriers whilst helping HMRC gain a better understanding of those customers who use the third sector. Delivered through Adviser training and BME/Migrant Workers Training and Outreach programme.

African Womens Enterprise Group - £18,210

Awareness and take up campaign across a wide range of HMRC products. Delivered through workshops, outreach and drop-in service for members and several other women’s orgs in North London. Reaching African women likely to be low income or lone parents, often with poor English literacy, using multi language resources.

Age Concern England - £50,000

A partnership project, working with Tax help for Older People, specifically related to taxation issues which will ensure that pre-pensioners and pensioners across the UK are able to access information and advice on tax related entitlements and issues. Delivery will involve outreach services, training of local information and advice staff to develop their capacity and the production of printed and online tax information.

BDAC Canolfan Cynghori - £20,000

A project aimed at pre-pensioners, pensioners, low income, one parent families and other vulnerable groups in a rurally isolated part of Wales to provide advice and support across a wide range of HMRC products. Delivery will involve outreach activities at several locations providing one to one advice and holding seminars to deliver training on various HMRC aspects such as tax credits and PAYE.

Benefits Advice Shop - £30,000

A project providing comprehensive advice, help, support, advocacy and representation through their main office and five rurally located outreach offices in North Wales. The service will cover a wide range of HMRC products and will be supported by a marketing campaign. The project will specifically target ethnic minorities from EU member states and clients wanting to return back to work.

Building Block Solutions - £18,457

A project aimed at a diverse group of clients in North Notts and North East Derbyshire. Particularly focusing on adults with mental health issues, older people living on their own and other vulnerable groups. The project involves providing outreach services, offering specialist support to maximise income covering tax credits, Child Trust Fund, Child Benefit, National Minimum Wage and TaxBack. The project also involves training others to become Money Health Check workers.

CAB East Sussex - £20,000

A project focusing on Tax Credit information, providing advice services, raising awareness, support and training. Aimed at BME and migrant communities, low income, isolated rural areas with poor access to information and new parents in East Sussex. The outcomes focus on: delivering customer support and awareness to hard to reach groups resulting in an increased take up of tax credits, Child Trust Fund and other HMRC products.

CAB Inverness - £20,000

A project training volunteers and providing advice to deliver customer support to hard to reach groups resulting in an increased take up of tax credits and other HMRC products. Building the capacity of the wider third sector to deliver long term work programmes including joint and collaborative and to help unlock the hardest to reach groups and communities.

CAB North Wiltshire - £15,000

A project aimed at lone parents and parents with disabled children in North Wiltshire, providing advice and support on a range of HMRC products working with and through health visitors and 'children’s centres' resulting in increased take up of tax credits, Child Trust Fund and improved customer experience.

CAB Plymouth - £20,000

Local Plymouth based project reaching hard to reach customers to stimulate take up of HMRC products by utilising their VCS networks to deliver HMRC product awareness training of tax credits, TaxBack, Child Trust Funds, Child Benefit, National Insurance Contributions and the National Minimum Wage.

CAB Roxburgh - £20,000

Citizens Advice Bureaux collaboration across Scottish border to increase tax credits and CTF awareness targeting employers, local community groups, disabled, new parents and the under 25s. Delivering customer support which targets the take up of working tax credit among the low paid, agricultural and migrant workers, under 25's and disabled workers including self-employed in Berwickshire

CAB West Lindsey - £19,664

A project to engage with individuals from hard to reach and low income groups to enable them to understand tax credits, Child Trust Funds and other HMRC products, increasing take up. Working with community organisations through a district wide partnership to improve their understanding of HMRC products.

Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) - £80,000

A nationwide project aimed at BME groups using press, radio and community events to raise awareness across HMRC products. Training staff to deliver on-line filing for customers, customer support about HMRC products to hard to reach groups, improving the customer experience and increasing the number of customers able to get the right entitlements and pay the right amount of tax.

CEMVO Scotland - £30,000

A project to build capacity of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Voluntary and Community Sector and its communities in Scotland, and to raise awareness of HMRC products, leading to an increased uptake of tax credits and Child Trust Fund.

Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations - £2,809

A project to provide training and learning for a range of VCS organisations to promote Tax Credits to Children’s Groups and Family Centres, through information sessions and surgeries.

Child Poverty Action Group - £90,000

A specialist tax credit advice, information and support service to the VCS delivering customer support for hard to reach groups resulting in an increased take up of tax credits, Child Benefit and other HMRC products. Key Customer Groups are BMEs, Migrant workers, Low income and one parent families, Disabled and Other vulnerable groups (rural).

Citizens Advice England and Wales - £165,000

A project which will, through specific outreach and customer support, increase the effective take-up of tax credits, Child Trust Fund and other HMRC products by hard-to-reach and low take-up customer groups, particularly: migrant workers, BME communities inc. gypsy and traveller families and low income families. Bureaux will be skilled up to undertake innovative approaches to these groups, delivering holistic advice to increase understanding of HMRC products, claims and payments are correct and improve the customer experience.

Citizens Advice Derby and Law Centre - £18,954

A project to deliver advice on HMRC products through key bureaux and capacity building and training for migrant worker intermediaries to support programme for pensioner groups. Deliver customer support for BMEs, Migrant Workers Low income and one parent families and other vulnerable groups resulting in an increased take up of tax credits and other HMRC products.

City and Hackney Carers Centre - £19,758

A project providing advice, advocacy and support to a multi-cultural group of parent carers primarily from black and minority ethnic backgrounds on tax credits, child benefit and child trust fund in a London Borough. The project offers one to one advice and information sessions, outreach group sessions and promotion and training to a wider audience than those individuals registered with them.

Commonside Community Development Trust - £19,997

Supporting parents, older people and others in London Boroughs to enable them to access HMRC products such as tax credits and other services so to improve their lives. Their main activities will be through Parents Programme outreach workers who will support clients through structured programmes and activities that address local skills shortages and worklessness. They will contribute to Parents' Employability and Financial Inclusion initiatives.

Confederation of Bangladeshi Organisations - £20,000

A holistic package of Information-Prevention -Practical advice and guidance on HMRC products, providing clients from deprived and hard to reach communities in Sandwell with the support they need to resolve difficulties of entitlements and tax issues. The project will be delivered through centre based direct advice and advocacy and outreach activities.

Contact a Family - £35,000

Supporting families with disabled children across the UK on child and working tax credits, child trust fund and other HMRC products. Providing direct advice via their free phone helpline and producing new information material such as direct payments guides.

Daycare Trust - £30,000

Supporting non-English speaking parents through their telephone information service with information about financial support particularly tax credits, Child Benefit and Child Trust Fund. They will produce audio language CDs in nine community languages containing information about HMRC products, and they will train representatives from grass roots community and voluntary organisations on HMRC related products and services.

Derbyshire Coalition for Inclusive Living - £11,950

Delivery of practical hands on support through road shows and follow up events around Derbyshire, support and training volunteers to provide practical support for disabled people, older people and others who have support needs get access to and claim entitlements

Disability Alliance - £50,000

A project that focuses on individual disabled customers and providing second tier support to VCS organisations across the UK. Running a specialist telephone advice service about tax credits and other HMRC products; updating their self-help guides and producing two new guides; updating their Disability Rights Handbook.

East London Financial Inclusion Unit - £20,000

A programme of training aimed specifically at hard to reach groups and recent arrivals living in East London to increase their knowledge of HMRC products and how to go about accessing them. The project will be delivered through outreach events, seminars, one to one money advice sessions and capacity building training sessions to third sector organisations.

East Thames Group - £25,000

Supporting welfare benefits awareness, access and advice programme to benefit customers of East Thames group and people in their local communities in East London and Essex. Delivered through monthly income maximisation surgeries, tax credits awareness programme, intensive one to one support and advocacy, and capacity building training programmes to third sector organisations.

Fair Limited - £15,000

Working with key local voluntary organisations in Edinburgh to target people with learning disabilities, their carers and families to help them with take up of tax credits and other HMRC products. Delivered through workplace contact and employment support agencies, home visits, dealing with daily enquiries to help people complete claim forms including representation and advocacy.

Faith Regen - £19,143

A project to raise tax credits awareness and claims assistance. Training to provide employability and skills to long term unemployed. Aimed at faith groups, delivering information and support to communities around London. Also providing additional one to one advice and support for clients unable to complete tax credits claim forms.

Gingerbread NI - £30,000

A comprehensive take up service to lone parents in Northern Ireland on the full range of HMRC products and services. Delivered by way of their Free phone Advice Helpline, giving advice by email and by developing HMRC information on their website; delivering talks and presentations to lone parents, VCS organisations and health and social care professionals.

Gloucester FM Community Radio - £9,000

A project that communicates information about HMRC services and activities to the Black and Minority Ethnic Community of Gloucester. One HMRC product will feature in their broadcasts each month on their nightly Community Link programme. Supporting information will be available on their website and phone.

I-Serve - £15,051

A project that will target the Somali community in four London Boroughs with messages and information about HMRC products such as tax credits and Child Trust Fund. Delivered through their Community Outreach and Information Programme and by Somali specific communication events and road shows.

Law Centre (Northern Ireland) - £1750

Production of a CD-ROM containing details of key Social Security Benefits, including working and child tax credits, including a separate sections on recovery of overpayments, annual renewal, child care rules and how to do a Tax Credit calculation. The CD-ROM will be distributed to Law Centres 450 member organisations, such as local CAB, independent advice agencies, libraries and other community based organisations. The material will also go on the Law Centres website. Funding will be matched by the Social Security Agency (SSA).

Life Academy - £35,825

Providing support to pre-pensioners and pensioners across the relevant HMRC product range, increasing the knowledge and understanding of the VCS. Delivery will be through 12 workshops targeted at staff and volunteers in the VCS and producing an up to date 'Taxation at Retirement' workbook as a primary source of information for VCS advisers.

Luton Rights - £20,000

A project that will target Black and Minority Ethnic communities and Migrant Workers in Luton through a community outreach programme to improve the awareness and take up of HMRC products. It will include providing one to one advice and support to individuals and awareness raising training to a number of voluntary community groups.

Manchester Refugee Support Network - £30,000

A project based in Moss Side, Manchester that will give information, support and advocacy to hard to reach customer groups amongst the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) refugee communities, about tax credits, Child Trust Fund and Child Benefit. The project will also deliver training sessions to refugees that are relatively new to the UK.

Migrants Resource Centre 'Better Off'- £45,000

'Better Off' project that comprises workshops, weekly outreach advice sessions in the most deprived inner city areas in London and awareness raising trough community media with a special focus on Black and Minority Ethnic groups and New European Union member states migrant workers. Aimed at improving the access, understanding and take up of a wide range of HMRC products.

National Council for One parent Families/Gingerbread - £135,000

A project that is aimed at capacity building understanding of key HMRC products across UK. This will be delivered through one day training sessions for advisors throughout the UK and via direct telephone advice to lone parents.

NR5 Project - £15,000

Delivery of a 30 minute feature by local community radio in Norwich, broadcasting an up to date information and advice slot that promotes HMRC products, encouraging listeners to contact the station during the show and referring them to the station's website for more information with links to local CAB and HMRC websites. Each programme will be turned into a podcast and available for three other community radio stations in Eastern Region.

Nusound - £6,000

A community radio project aimed at the BME community, raising awareness and take up of HMRC products. The project will promote and advertise HMRC services. In addition to the adverts on air, HMRC staff will inform listeners on services such as starting your own business, sole trader, tax credits and minimum wage.

One Parent Families Scotland - £20,000

Providing training courses, seminars, newsletters and web information for staff in advice and support organisations, childcare providers working with lone parents and other low-income families throughout Scotland, about a range of HMRC products, including tax credits, Child Benefit, child trust funds and National Insurance, giving the opportunity to share experience and good practices with others.

Poor African Refugee Community Association - £20,000

A project in Greater Peterborough to increase the take up of Tax Credits and other HMRC products for BME and migrant groups, through drop in sessions and a telephone help line.

The Princes Trust - £20,000

Providing advice and support on HMRC products for young people through the Prince's Trust Business Programme, helping them get the right entitlements and pay the right amount of tax. Focussing on young people, educational underachievers, in or leaving care, long-term unemployed or who have been in trouble with the law. Plus working with young people to identify innovative ideas for sharing information relating to HMRC products.

Royal National Institute of Blind People - £32,475

A project to develop understanding of the specific needs of customers with sight loss and then deliver HMRC awareness and advice services, targeting people who lose their sight by providing customer and family support. From lessons learnt they will work with the network of national and local organisations to provide guidance and advice to enable similar support for HMRC products.

Salon Strategies - £20,000

A project for the hard to reach group of BME small businesses and self-employed operating formally and informally within the Ethnic Hair and Beauty Sector, those who have low awareness of HMRC and its products. Providing one to one client counselling and support by qualified trained bi-lingual staff.

Sandwell Asian Family Support Service - £19,959

A project to provide a Liaison and Outreach service for South Asian families who have a child or young person with a disability. Supporting families to access and support about HMRC products resulting in an improved customer experience and an increased number of customers getting the right entitlements and paying the right amount of tax.

Sangam Association of Asian Women - £28,200

A project to raises awareness of HMRC products and services to improve take up of Tax Credits and Child Benefit by BME groups and to gain a better understanding of their needs. Promoting HMRC services within the wider community and reaching members of BME groups through Outreach Advice Surgeries, access to information and individual One to One support for clients with language needs to fill in application forms and dealing with overpayments.

Slough Refugee Support - £8,218

A project to deliver customer advice and support to refugees re-settling in Slough, resulting in increased take up of HMRC products, particularly focusing on tax credits and Child Benefit. Those targeted will be those who are experiencing difficulties with these products, are hard to reach, often unaware of their entitlements, and face barriers of language and unfamiliarity with processes.

South West London Law Centre - £20,000

A project to provide appropriate education and advice by delivering training to community groups, enabling them to raise issues around HMRC products, in particular tax credits, Child Benefit, the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance Credits with their members. The project also aims to improve the expertise of caseworkers to enable them to increase awareness and the take up of tax credits and other HMRC products.

St. Albans Centre For Voluntary Service - £18,230

A project that builds on the skills of third sector advisers across the county and delivers customer support on a range of HMRC products to hard to reach charities and community groups. The project will provide coaching for ten individual organisations in HMRC products covering PAYE, NIC, National Minimum Wage and tax credits. In addition they will encourage groups to promote the entitlements of their service users through websites and electronic and hard copy newsletters.

TaxAid - £150,000

Providing Helpline advice nationally for all HMRC target groups, responding to all tax related problems, including HMRC administered benefits with specialism in tax debt. A critical first resource for all target harder to reach, rural and vulnerable groups (eg migrants, BME, lone parents, disabled, pensioners, near retirement, self-employed, those on low incomes and other vulnerable groups). Providing dedicated Specialist Tax advice to VCS advice organisations serving all HMRC target groups. Face to Face and Outreach tax advice provision, includes the availability of casework to resolve complex and long standing HMRC cases, especially related to tax debt.
In addition providing training to generalist helpline advisers, who currently engage in advising callers who present with non HMRC debt problems, to routinely include questions to identify a potential tax implication to their debt situation. The helpline advisers will be trained in 'triage' to stabilize any tax debt situation prior to appropriate referral.

TaxHelp for Older People - £80,000

Supporting operation of a national call centre dealing with tax enquiries for low income pensioners and pre pensioners by providing a network of volunteer professional advisers across the UK to assist older people, free of charge, on low incomes fulfil their obligations, maintain their contact with HMRC and improve their understanding of the tax system.

Wai Yin Chinese Womens Society - £50,000

Delivery of customer awareness and support about all the HMRC products to the Chinese Community and BME groups who are hard to reach because of the language barrier and dispersed nature across Greater Manchester, improving their experience of the HMRC products. Running a range of workshops to promote and develop awareness of HMRC products and development of outreach services for house bound clients.

Working Families - £45,000

Delivery of a programme of work which targets increasing take up of tax credits and other HMRC products in the workplace through channels negotiated with employers, delivering customer support for and key messages to hard to reach groups resulting in an increased take up of tax credits and other HMRC products.

YMCA Wales - £19,976

To provide training to VCS organisations in England and Wales on a range of HMRC products - tax credits, Child Trust Fund, Child Benefit, PAYE/Self Assessment, Self Employed, National Minimum Wage, NIC's, VAT, Tax Back and Gift Aid via workshops.

YouthNet - £36,208

A project that will deliver a programme of information, advice and guidance targeting all young people aged 16-24 years old across the BME, migrant workers, low income and one parent families, disabled and other vulnerable groups on HMRC products - tax credits, Child Benefit, PAYE/Self Assessment and the National Minimum Wage through a variety of innovative products and media.