Grants for community groups

Voluntary and community groups can now apply for grants of up to £5,000 from a fund operated by St Albans City and District Council.

The money is intended to support projects and activities that benefit the whole community including the most vulnerable people.

Priority this year is being given to projects that will help people recover from the impact of the Covid-19 emergency.

This may include, for example, initiatives to re-establish social networks or improve mental health and wellbeing.

The money comes from the Council’s Community Grants Fund and £55,000 is available to be distributed.

Communities 1st, an organisation that provides advice to charities and encourages volunteering, helps the Council administer the fund.

Applications can be made during the six weeks from Tuesday 16 June to noon on Friday 31 July.

Last year, 20 projects received funding and these included: Salaam Women’s Café where BAME women can learn English if it is not their first language and socialise;

Herts Youth Inclusive Football which runs tournaments for young people with disabilities; and

The homeless charity Emmaus for developing IT for residents to access support online.

Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection, said:

Each year we offer financial aid to groups that do valuable and important work to support vulnerable people.

I doubt this money has ever been more needed as the Covid-19 pandemic has increased demand for such services while at the same time as it has disrupted fund-raising activities.

We are particularly keen to support projects that will help people recover from the many hardships that Covid-19 has inflicted on the District such as increasing levels of loneliness and isolation.

Usually, we host a launch event at the Civic Centre where representatives of groups can come along and get face-to-face advice on how to apply for a grant, but it is not possible to stage that this year because of social distancing. Instead, there will be a live online event with presentations from the Council and Communities 1st with opportunity for questions and discussion.

 So, I urge groups to go online to see if they might be eligible for a grant and how to apply. Our community fund has benefitted hundreds of people across the District and we want its success to continue.

An online launch event will be held on Tuesday 23 June when advice will be given on how to make an application. Information on this and how to download an application form are available here:  https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/grants

Communities 1st will also be holding advice sessions with details of those to appear on their website: https://www.communities1st.org.uk/.

This year, the total fund will be granted in one round of awards instead of the two administered last year. Applicants will be informed in the late summer if they have been successful.

Groups that have received a grant during the past five years or can show at least one year’s full set of accounts are eligible. Other groups may be pointed towards other sources of funding.

Councillor Contact: Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection for St Albans City and District Council: cllr.j.taylor@stalbans.gov.uk; 07971 906343.

Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Office:  john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk, 01727-819533.