Grassroots community groups are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to £1,500 from The Somerset Fund, which is funded by local businesses with support from Somerset County Council and managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
SCF is encouraging applications from smaller groups which operate on less than £50,000 per year. The grants will be ‘unrestricted’, which means they can be used to pay for ongoing running costs. Applications can be made from Monday, 6 January, 2020 and the deadline to apply is Friday, 14 February, 2020.
Laura Blake, Development Director at SCF, said: “We created The Somerset Fund in 2018 to bring local businesses and families together to support small, local charities. The fund offers a simple and rewarding way to give to good causes, with all donations matched by 50% thanks to funding from Somerset County Council. We’re hugely grateful to the local businesses and families that have chosen to give through The Somerset Fund over the last year.
“Thanks to our generous donors, we are now able to invite local grassroots charities to apply for funding by Friday 14 February. Alongside receiving funding, groups benefiting from the fund will have a great opportunity to promote their cause to local businesses and raise awareness of their important work.”
Purple Elephant received a grant from The Somerset Fund in 2019 and used it to run summer holiday activities for children in Frome, helping to support families that are in need access support and make memories.
Sue Willis, founder of the charity, said: “Funding from Somerset Community Foundation’s Somerset Fund helped us to run our summer activities programme and Toy Library in 2019. The children’s activities are free or very low cost, so everyone can access them. For those who can’t drive or who struggle to afford activities for their kids, having something on their doorstep is crucial. A lot of parents tell us our activities are a godsend.”
The Somerset Fund will support local people of all ages and a wide range of causes, including:
People who run a business and would like to find out more about giving through The Somerset Fund can visit: https://www.somersetcf.org.uk/tsf or email l Laura Blake at laura.blake@somersetcf.org.uk
Anyone involved in a local, grassroots community project who would like to find out more about how to apply for funding, should visit: www.somersetcf.org.uk/somersetfund or call Somerset Community Foundation on: 01749 344949.
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