Grin :-) - grants for small, local projects (£5k - £50k available)

The People’s Health Trust is inviting community groups in England, Scotland and Wales to apply to its recently opened Active Communities Funding Programme.

The funding programme aims to close the gap between communities experiencing the worst health in Great Britain and the majority of the population.

It will fund small, local projects that encourage community activism - projects designed and run by local people that address issues relevant to them and benefit and improve their local community.

Examples of projects that can be supported through this scheme include a tenant and resident mediation group or a computer skills group for older people.

The scheme is suitable for projects that are:

• requesting between £5,000 and £50,000;
• last up to two years;
• are based and operate within one of the of the local society areas (see below); and
• are run by local charities and community groups with an annual income of less than £350,000 a year.

The programme focuses on people living in the ‘poorest neighbourhoods’ because people living there will on average:

• Die 7 years younger than people living in richer neighbourhoods.
• Spend 17 years more of their shortened lives with disability than people living in richer neighbourhoods.
• Have higher rates of mental health problems.
• Have a lower quality of life.

Active Communities is for community groups and not-for-profit organisations with an income of less than £350,000 a year that are seeking investment of between £5,000 and £25,000 a year, for projects lasting up to two years.

In defining ‘poorest’ the Trusts wants to focus its funding on the 25% most disadvantaged areas of Great Britain. Although there are different ways of measuring disadvantage, one of indicators  used by the Trust will be the Scottish, Welsh and English Indices of Multiple Deprivation.

By ‘neighbourhood’ the Trust aims to direct funding towards people who live in relatively local communities, such as a housing estate, a few streets, an electoral ward, a small town or neighbouring villages. The Trust is very unlikely to fund activities across large towns, whole metropolitan boroughs, cities or counties.

Local Society Areas

Guidance notes and an online application form can be accessed by adding a location postcode to the search box on the People’s Health Trust website to find out if your area is in an eligible Local Society Area (a lot of the South West appears to be eligible to apply to this programme). 

The deadline for applications is 15 July 2013 (noon).