Nearly £1 million is about to be awarded to voluntary and community groups to support work with the sector, to reduce crime and help boost local arts and culture.
This is after almost 30 organisations bid for grants from Calderdale Council in its latest round of funding applications. It was an extremely competitive process with eligible applications for grants alone totalling £1.9 million for the available funding, which will be spread over three years.
On Monday 15 December Cabinet will confirm which organisations will receive funding from April 2015.
By awarding these grants the Council is aiming to encourage more people to volunteer and get involved in community events and activities, particularly by helping some of our most vulnerable residents to play an active part in our community, support Calderdale’s amazing arts and culture scene, and help make our towns and neighbourhoods safe, pleasant and welcoming places.
This investment demonstrates the Council’s continued commitment to the voluntary and community sector despite the pressures on its budgets. This is because the Council recognises that voluntary organisations are key to making these aims a reality and make a real difference in all of Calderdale’s communities.
The grants awarded for 2012 – 2015 boosted a number of local projects, such as Calderdale Smartmove who used the money to help people into education, work or volunteering to tackle homelessness and helping Halifax Street Angels to fund an expanded service and the cost of drop-in facilities in the town centre to keep people safe.
Some of those who have submitted bids this time around include Square Chapel Trust which has applied for funding to help make arts and culture more accessible and attractive to all parts of our community, particularly people who wouldn’t normally be able to go to the theatre or get involved in creating cultural events. Cornholme Old Library has bid for money to run more sessions to help local people get back into work and create a stronger sense of community in the village.
Calderdale Council’s Director of Communities and Service Support, Robin Tuddenham, said:
“All of our voluntary sector grants are really popular, and we’ve had lots of high-quality applications again this year. We have looked at them all very carefully and followed a thorough scoring process. We’re having to make some tough decisions; the organisations receiving funding will be those who put forward plans that can make the biggest difference to our communities. We look forward to helping them turn their ideas into reality. Voluntary groups play an important role in tackling the challenges facing our communities, so we are committed to continuing to work with them.”
For information on all the funding available from Calderdale Council for voluntary and community groups, head to Grants.