Community and voluntary groups across Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to apply for grant aid funding to help support their work, and to attend one of three information events to help explain the process.

Applications to the County Council’s 2015-18 grant aid programme are welcome from Monday, 13 October until the closing date of Monday, 1 December. Groups can apply for grants from a minimum of £500.

Full details about the application process, including the form and supporting information, will be available on the County Council’s website from Monday, 13 October.

The County Council currently supports a diverse range of community groups across Nottinghamshire through grant aid.

To help community and voluntary groups understand the application process, the County Council has arranged an information events on Friday, 17 October, from 10.30am to 12noon at the Ladybrook Community Centre, Ladybrook Lane, Mansfield NG18 5JJ

Councillor Joyce Bosnjak, Deputy Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Chair of the Grant Aid sub-committee says: “Despite the financial challenges caused by ongoing reductions in Government funding, the Council has dug deep to offer financial support to local community and voluntary groups.

“Voluntary and community groups, especially groups who might not have considered applying for grant aid in the past, are encouraged to come along to one of the information events to find out about the application process.

“The Council is very interested to hear from organisations who believe they can use grant aid to help kick-start their project to generate their own income, increasing their future sustainability.”

Grant aid financial support can be used as a contribution towards the delivery of a service or project, which may include:
•staff salaries
•rent, heating, electricity and insurance
•professional fees associated with the running of the project
•staff training

Applications for grant aid are particularly welcome from projects that:

•help people to help themselves
•provide volunteering opportunities
•encourage fairness in local communities by tackling disadvantage
•identify ways for groups to generate their own income to become less reliant on future grant aid awards.

As spaces are limited at the information events, the County Council is encouraging just one representative to attend from each organisation.

For any further information about grant aid go to: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/grantaid2015-18 or contact the County Council’s Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS) team by email [email protected] or telephone 0115 977 2041.