Funding for community groups
Voluntary and community groups are invited to apply for grants from a £55,000 fund run by St Albans City and District Council.
The money is intended to support projects that benefit the whole community, particularly vulnerable groups such as older people and the less able.
People who struggle to access services because they live in remote locations or do not speak English as a first language are also included.
Grants of up to £5,000 are awarded every year from the Council’s Community Grants Fund.
It is administered with the help of Communities 1st, an organisation that provides advice to charities and encourages volunteering.
Applications can be made from Monday 13 May to midnight on Sunday 7 July with a second round being held in November.
An information event will be held on Monday 20 May to give interested groups further details and guidance on how to apply.
Grants distributed last year included £3,400 to the Trestle Theatre, Russet Drive, St Albans, for a weekly drama group that brings together adults with and without disabilities.
Herts Asians Women’s Association was awarded £4,480 for its work supporting isolated members of the community and the London Colney Youth Project received £4,300 for after-school clubs.
St Albans and District Credit Union was given £4,000 to give interest-free loans to victims of domestic abuse referred to them.
Joe Tavernier, the Council’s Head of Community Services, said:
We are committed to helping voluntary and community groups deliver projects in our District as part of our Inclusion Strategy.
Every year we offer this financial aid to groups who do valuable and important work in our community to support vulnerable people.
To provide more details and help in making applications, there will be an information event that I urge anyone interested to come along to.
Our community fund has benefitted thousands of people across the District and we want that success to continue in the year ahead.
The information event will allow representatives of organisations to be briefed about the type of projects that are eligible.
It will take place from 5.30pm to 7pm in the Hub at the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans.
Communities 1st will also host surgeries throughout the application period to discuss project ideas and how to draft applications. To book a place, go to: www.communities1st.org.uk.
Grant application forms for 2019-20 can be downloaded from this website and from the Council’s website on https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/grants.
To see the full list of grants awarded last year, please see: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/grants.
Media contact:
John McJannet,
Principal Communications Officer,
St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 01727-296130;
E-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.