Embargoed till 00.01
Thursday 3 December: £33 million in Government grants provide much
needed help in communities
Over £33 million
in grants have been given to over 13,000 charities and voluntary
organsiations in the first full year of the Government's
Grassroots Grants scheme, statistics reveal.
The £130 million scheme, launched in September 2008, is aimed at
helping small voluntary and community organisations provide much
needed help in their communities and reach out to the most
vulnerable people.
Grants have been spent on a range of community activity from
healthy food parcels for deprived communities to social activity
for carers - helping communities to thrive and deal with the
individual challenges that face each local community.
Small and local community groups with annual incomes below
£30,000 can apply for the grants of between £250 and £5,000.
Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, said:
"Grassroots Grants give the groups which are tackling
local issues the support they need to make a difference. I am
delighted that through this ground-breaking programme the
Government has in the first year alone given charities and
voluntary organisations over £33 million in grants. Enabling them
to reach out to the most vulnerable people in our communities.
"The programme is still open for applications and I
encourage small local voluntary and community groups across the
country to come forward and apply for this essential funding."
Trevor Sleath, the Andover Food Bank Project Coordinator, said,
"We've seen a significant increase in people
struggling with debt, both the unemployed and those in low-income
employment. These are difficult times, and Andover being a rural
community, many people living in villages and the surrounding
areas are struggling to make ends meet. We are offering a vital
service to people in need, and the Grassroots Grants funding will
really help us continue to support them".
Grassroots Grants includes a match fund where donations by
business and individuals are matched by Government. The money,
which is then invested as an endowment , aims to provide financial
support over the long term to charities and voluntary
organisations; enabling even more grants to local good causes, for
generations to come.
A total of 8515 businesses and individuals up and down the
country have made donations, totalling over £13 million so far,
which the Government then matched funded. This has already built
endowments in every local area, worth £25m in total.
The innovative endowement match challenge is the first of its
kind in the world, as far as we know, and offers businesses and
individuals the chance to contribute directly to supporting and
sustaining the communities in which they operate and upon which
they rely.
Ashley Taylor, Friends Provident, a Grassroots Grants Donor,
said:
"Friends Provident has a history of 'putting
something back' into the local community. The Grassroots
Grants match funding has enabled us to achieve more with our
investment than would otherwise be possible. "
Notes to editors
The £130 million Grassroots Grants programme, which will run
until 2011, is divided into two parts: an £80 million small grants
fund for community organisations; and a groundbreaking £50 million
endowments programme to enable local funders to generate
additional donations on a matched basis and invest them in
endowments, thereby building their capacity to provide long-term
funding for frontline community organisations.
First year figures for Grassroots Grants:
Endowment match challenge
· Total number of donations received - 8515
· Total amount of donations received - £13,937,362.84
· Endowment match paid by government - £11,283,375.05
· Total endowment raised (sum of above two) - £25,220,737.89
· % from new donors - 62.8% (based on amount in £, not number)
· % from personal donors - 48.2% (based on amount in £, not
number)
· % from corporate donors - 51.8% (based on amount in £, not
number)
· While the average donation was £1,636.80, donations have ranged
from £1 to £539,500.00
Small grants
· Total number of grants distributed - 13,424
· Total amount distributed - £33,996,077.55
· Average Grant - £2,532.42
· % distributed to new groups - £39%
Please note the programme was launched in September 2008, however
a small amount of funding was distributed, and donations raised,
in some areas in July 2008 and August 2008. This is the first full
year performance data from September 2008 to September 2009 but
does include a small amount of local programme activity prior to
the national launch.
The Grassroot Grants programme is funded by the Office of The
Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and administered by the
Community Development Foundation <http://www.cdf.org.uk/grassroots> .
Community Development Foundation (CDF)
CDF is the leading source of community development expertise and
delivery. As a public body and a charity we bridge government,
communities and the voluntary sector. We help local people lead.
Our aim is for an inclusive and just society. Our mission is to
lead community development analysis and strategy in order to
empower people to influence decisions that affect their lives. www.cdf.org.uk <http://www.cdf.org.uk/>
If you would like to donate to the Grassroots Grants endowment in
your local area please visit www.cdf.org.uk/grassroots
If you would like to apply for a grant in your local area please visit
www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/grassroots-grants
<http://www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/grassroots-grants>
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