BUMPER POT OF £40,000 UP FOR GRABS IN TENTH ANNIVERSARY GRANTS ROUND OF VICTORY HOUSING COMMUNITY FUND
A community fund run by north Norfolk’s largest social landlord, which has given out more than £425,000 to over 150 local community groups, is celebrating its tenth anniversary by offering an amazing £40,000 in its latest grants round – and one lucky recipient organisation will walk away with a £10,000 grant.
The Victory Housing Community Fund was set up in 2008 to support charities and voluntary organisations which are making a difference in local communities, and in the past decade it has supported a huge variety of initiatives.
Now a bumper pot of money is being made available for the anniversary grants round. Charities, community organisations and parish council have until 28th September to apply for a share of the £40,000 pot; applications are invited for grants up to £5,000, which can be used for a variety of purposes, including capital projects, venue hire, equipment, start-up expenses and training.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Fund, one successful applicant will see their grant boosted to £10,000.
In the last round of grants, in May, nine community groups received grants of between £500 and £5,000 to help with projects as diverse as equipping community first responders, improving disabled access to a coast watch lookout premises, constructing a building to house a playgroup and supporting the operation of a touring play van for rural communities.
Once bids close on 28th September, the decision about where the money goes will be made by a panel consisting of Victory Housing Trust tenants, advised by the grants team at Norfolk Community Foundation, which administers the Fund on behalf of Victory
“We are very proud of the difference that our Community Fund has made over the past decade, and we wanted to mark the anniversary with something a bit special,” said Victory Housing Trust director of housing Christine Candlish.
“So as well as more than doubling the amount available for grants from its usual level, we have decided that we will pick one lucky grant recipient to receive £10,000, which is a sum which could really make a difference in one of our local communities.
“All community groups are welcome to apply, but we would particularly encourage bids from organisations which have not applied before – the application process is deliberately simple and user-friendly.”
Applications for grants can be made by any organisation or group established for charitable purposes, provided there is a formal structure which allows for monitoring of activity and feedback – official charitable status is not necessary. The Fund is looking for applications from voluntary and community groups in the north of Norfolk whose primary aim is to improve the quality of people’s lives.
Full details of how to apply for grants from the Victory Housing Community Fund can be found at www.norfolkfoundation.com/funds/victory-housing-trust-community-fund. The closing date for receiving grant applications is Friday 28th September.
Some facts about the Victory Housing Community Fund
- The Fund made its first grants in October 2008. The first round of grants saw a total of £24,974 given to eight organisations, including Swanton Novers Village Hall, Voyager Community Group and the Gimingham Sandpit Community Garden.
- In total 157 grants have been given out in the ten years since the Fund was established, totalling £427,204.
- Nineteen organisations have received the maximum grant of £5,000; the average grant given is £2,721; the smallest successful grant application was for £262.
- Every grant decision has been made by a panel consisting of Victory Housing trust residents, guided by experts from Norfolk Community Foundation.