Voluntary and community groups across the city are being given the opportunity to apply for a further £150,000 in funding to help them continue delivering services throughout the winter season.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now opened the second round of the winter funding grant, and local groups are invited to apply for a share.
The Council is administering the grant from the Department of Work and Pensions which supports those most in need.
The initiative follows a successful first round of the grant scheme in December 2021 which saw 19 local voluntary and community groups receive a total of £50,000. They were each awarded funding of up to £3,000 to support community events and projects which assisted local people who were lonely, isolated or struggling financially over the festive season.
Under this second round, local community and voluntary organisations are being invited to apply for grants of up to £10,000 each.
Priority will be given to charities or community groups based in the city delivering support to Stoke-on-Trent residents which address one or more of the following priorities:
• Food provision - with a focus on families with children
• Energy costs - including water and repairs
• Essentials - including warm clothes, hygiene products, white goods
Cllr Lorraine Beardmore, Cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Public Health at Stoke-on-Trent City Council said:
“The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted on local voluntary community sector groups in many ways. These include a much-reduced ability to fundraise, a loss of income, increasing overheads, and the need to move to remote working and online provision, alongside a greater demand for their services.
“We have exceptional voluntary and community groups in Stoke-on-Trent who work so very hard to support local people through difficult times. These grants are another boost to help these groups, and I’m proud that we are now able to make this further funding available.
“Grants totalling £50,000 under the first allocation of funding were awarded to a wide range of local groups, such as those that help to relieve poverty, provide help to the homeless, and support people with disabilities.
“This extra £150,000 will certainly help more local organisations, and we encourage groups to apply for this extra support.
“The City Council will make a decision on successful applications as soon as possible after the closing date on 15th February so that we can get the grants out to groups quickly.”
This funding is to help local people in need this winter and should therefore be spent by the successful applicants by the end of March 2022.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council will provide a response to all applicants as soon as possible after the closing date of 15 February 2022.
To apply, local voluntary and community sector organisations are asked to email communities@stoke.gov.uk to request an application form.
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