Cabwi Awarding Body

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £766,000 (2023)
• Success Rate: Competitive - far more applications than available funding
• Decision Time: 4-5 months (applications February-May, decisions June)
• Grant Range: £5,000 - £35,000
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide
• Application Method: Fixed deadline (annual)

Contact Details

Website: www.cabwi.co.uk / www.cabwi.org.uk

Email: enquiries@cabwi.co.uk / grants@cabwi.org.uk

Phone: 020 7469 2641

Address: 6 Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7BA

Pre-Application Support: CABWI holds webinars for potential applicants (e.g., January 2025 webinar) to help organizations learn what they're looking for and increase chances of success.

Overview

CABWI AWARDING BODY (Charity No. 1157706) is a dual-purpose organization established in 1991. Its commercial arm provides vocational qualifications for the water, utilities, and construction industries, while excess income funds its charitable work. The CABWI charity promotes learning and development that enables young people and adults to gain skills, qualifications, and confidence to enter the labour market. In 2023, CABWI distributed £766,000 in grants to UK charities. The organization emphasizes innovative approaches to tackling employment barriers and focuses particularly on individuals who are NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), ex-service personnel, ex-offenders, and those with complex barriers to employment. CABWI maintains a “light touch” application and monitoring process while requiring measurable, SMART outcomes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

• Lifelong Learning and Development Fund: £5,000 - £35,000 per year (12-month maximum duration from 2024)
• Applications open annually (typically January, with February deadline)
• Both core and project funding available
• Grant amount restrictions based on organizational turnover:
• Organizations with income up to £231,000: maximum 15% of previous year's turnover
• Organizations with income £231,000-£1m: maximum £35,000
• Organizations with income over £1m: not eligible

Priority Areas

• NEET Young People and Adults: Direct work with individuals not in employment, education, or training, or those at risk of becoming NEET, to improve labour market access
• Complex Barriers to Employment: Supporting ex-service personnel, ex-offenders, and others with significant employment challenges
• Skills Development: Increasing life skills to further career development, particularly in water, utilities, and construction industries
• Innovative Approaches: In 2025, CABWI is “particularly keen to support innovative approaches that highlight new ideas/ways of tackling barriers to training and employment”

What They Don't Fund

• Organizations with annual turnover exceeding £1 million
• Limited companies
• Statutory organizations
• Individuals or sole traders
• Political or religious groups
• Commercial organizations
• Overseas projects
• Capital/infrastructure projects
• Retrospective grants
• Schools, churches, parish councils, or PTAs

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees and Senior Leadership

Paul Byrne, Chief Executive Officer (since December 2016)

• Over 40 years in learning and development industry
• 10 years in awarding sector
• Non-executive Director of Federation of Awarding Bodies

Mike Baker, Trustee (Director since 2001, Trustee since 2013)

• Water and infrastructure development veteran
• Senior leadership experience in UK and overseas
• Focuses on “support[ing] the personal and skills development of disadvantaged people”

Jan Ellis, Trustee

• 30+ years career guidance experience
• Board member of International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy
• Trustee of three charities supporting skills development

Lee Horrocks, Trustee

• 40+ years in water industry
• Experience with major contracting organizations and consultancies
• Held leadership roles with Ofwat and Enterprise Ireland

Jackie Scarfe, Trustee

• 30+ years HR leadership experience
• Passionate about supporting disadvantaged individuals

Doug Hamilton, Trustee

• 20+ years in engineering and project management
• Behavioral consultancy specialist

Maggie Pedder, Trustee

• HR professional with extensive trustee experience
• Worked with military and veteran organizations

Note: No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

1. Submit by deadline: All documents must be provided with application to avoid delays and missing deadlines

Decision Timeline

• Applications Open: Monday, 6 January 2025 (annually)
• Deadline: Monday, 3 February 2025 by 18:00 hours
• Assessment Period: February-May 2025
• Interviews: Conducted via Zoom, Teams, or telephone during assessment period
• Trustee Decisions: June 2025
• First Payment: July 2025
• 6-Month Monitoring Report: December 2025
• Final Monitoring Report: End of funding period

Success Rates

CABWI received “far more applications than we could fund” in 2024. With £766,000 distributed in 2023 and individual grants up to £35,000, approximately 20-25 organizations receive funding annually, making this a competitive fund.

Reapplication Policy

• Organizations that received a previous grant can reapply from 12 months after the approval date
• All requirements of the last grant must be fulfilled before reapplication
• Previous grantees may receive reduced priority to allow new organizations access to funding

Application Success Factors

Key Advice from CABWI

“Last year we received far more applications than we could fund. In 2025 we will be particularly keen to support innovative approaches that highlight new ideas/ways of tackling barriers to training and employment.”

What They Look For

• SMART Outcomes: Applications must demonstrate “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound” outcomes
• Direct Impact: Organizations must work directly with unemployed/non-trained individuals
• Innovation: New and creative approaches to addressing employment barriers
• Measurable Effectiveness: Projects must demonstrate their effectiveness through clear outcomes
• Impact Focus: Both applications and monitoring reports should emphasize impact and outcomes

Successful Project Examples

Growing2gether (Highland, Scotland)

• Transformed lives of 1,750 young people since 2017
• Innovative nursery mentoring program combined with positive psychology coaching
• Participants earn SCVQ Personal Development Award
• Beneficiary testimonial: “Helping children in nursery helped me to find skills and qualities I never really knew I had. I am so happy I got this opportunity.”

Fresh Start Charity (East Anglia)

• 6-month work experience program for 16-24 year-olds
• Training across multiple industries: retail, hospitality, warehouse management, driver's mate, customer service
• 1-1 mental health support and confidence building
• Goal: Train 1,000 young people within three years
• Beneficiary testimonial: "Since working at Fresh Start I've become more confident by the day... I've gained people skills and now have the confidence to spark conversation."

Standing Out Tips

• Be specific about outcomes: Use quantifiable metrics and clear targets
• Show innovation: Demonstrate new or unique approaches to employment barriers
• Demonstrate sustainability: Show how the project will have lasting impact
• Focus on your target group: Clearly identify the specific population you serve and their barriers
• Provide context: Explain the problem you're addressing with evidence
• Include beneficiary voice: Use quotes and testimonials to illustrate impact
• Attend the webinar: Take advantage of pre-application support to understand what CABWI seeks

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Competitive landscape: With more applications than funding available, applications must clearly demonstrate innovation and measurable impact to stand out
• SMART outcomes are essential: Applications without specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound outcomes will not succeed
• Innovation matters in 2025: CABWI explicitly prioritizes new approaches to tackling employment and training barriers
• Complete applications only: Missing documents cause delays and can result in missing deadlines; ensure all three policies, accounts, and bank statements are included
• Use pre-application support: Attend webinars and contact grants@cabwi.org.uk before applying to increase success chances
• Focus on direct work: CABWI funds organizations working directly with beneficiaries, not intermediary or infrastructure organizations
• Build monitoring into planning: Demonstrate how you'll measure and report on SMART outcomes at 6 months and 12 months
• Budget carefully: Ensure your request aligns with the 15% turnover rule if your income is below £231,000

References

• CABWI Charity website: https://cabwi.org.uk/
• CABWI Awarding Body website: https://www.cabwi.co.uk/
• CABWI Application Guidelines: https://cabwi.org.uk/application-guidelines/
• CABWI What We Fund: https://cabwi.org.uk/what-we-fund/
• CABWI Trustees page: https://cabwi.org/trustees/
• Charity Commission Register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1157706
• Growing2gether case study: https://www.cabwi.org.uk/our-projects/growing2gether/
• Fresh Start case study: https://www.cabwi.org.uk/our-projects/fresh-start/
• Sector Support NEL: https://www.sectorsupportnel.org.uk/cabwi-awarding-body-grant-funding/
• Get Grants: https://www.getgrants.org.uk/the-cabwi-charity/