Libraries, the Heart of Your Community

ESF Community Grants programme open for applications

A new phase of the ESF Community Grants programme is now open for applications. The programme is all about funding small organisations to developthe skills and employability of people who are currently unemployed. As with the 2011-13 programme, applications will be welcome from organisations working with people who live in Hampshire, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight or Southampton.

To be eligible, organisations must be based in south-east England, be clearly not-for-profit,employ no more than nine full-time equivalent staff members, and have anannual income of £300,000 or below in the previous financial year. This income figure applies to the organisation as a whole, not just the specific project for which funding is being sought. Charitable donations do not count towards the income figure.

Priority will be given to applications for work with lone parents, women, people with health or disability issues, people aged 50 or above, and people from diverse communities (including ethnic minorities).

The maximum grant amount is £15,000, with projects to be completed by 30 April 2015. The first round deadline is at 1pm on Monday 7 April, with further rounds closing on 2 June and 1 September. Full details and an application pack are on the CAH website at Alternatively, please email or call 01962 857358.

There will be pre-submission workshop session from 1pm – 3pm on Monday 24th March at Phase III Room, Riverside Centre, Newport all groups considering an application are strongly encouraged to attend a workshop if at all possible. The sessions will include an explanation of the detailed monitoring requirements, an outline of some successful projects from previous programmes, and an opportunity to ask questions about your application.

Finally, please note it is vital with this grant scheme that you check your application very carefully. Due to strict rules from the European Social Fund and Skills Funding Agency, who provide the programme’s funding, any error or omission on your application will lead to it being rejected. We cannot pick mistakes up as we are only permitted to check your application after the round deadline.

The ESF Community Grants 2014-15 programme is part funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund. Surrey Community Action are the regional managers of the programme, working with CAH in the Hampshire area.