More than 50 community projects set to share a slice of £7m funding

More than 50 projects across Croydon, offering everything from mental health support to encouraging children to make healthy choices; and housing for rough sleepers to helping domestic abuse survivors; are set to receive around £7million over the next three years.

The funding has been awarded from the Community Fund which was set up to help voluntary or community groups deliver key outcomes boosting the health, quality of life or prospects of residents.

In their submissions, the groups had to set out how the funding would benefit the communities they serve and align with one of six themes:

  • Helping people live long, healthy, happy and independent lives
  • Helping children and young people thrive and reach their full potential
  • Helping people access homes and prevent homelessness
  • Helping everyone feel safer in their street, neighbourhood and home
  • Helping everyone to have the opportunity to work and build their career
  • Preventing, reducing or delaying care and support needs for older people

Applications were decided by a panel consisting of local young people, carers, council tenants, and council staff and there were two separate bidding processes: a simple grant application for less than £15,000 and a bidding process for commissioned services over £15,000.

All bids were scored against criteria including whether the projects were local, achievable and well-run, addressed a specific need and showed a need for their service. The council selected schemes across the borough so as many people as possible could benefit from the new funding.

One project that successfully secured grant application funding is Parents in Partnership, an organisation providing specialist support and training for parents of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities, based on George Street.

A spokesman for Parents in Partnership said: “Parents in Partnership is delighted with the funding agreed from Croydon Council. It will enable us to continue to provide vital advice, support and guidance to parent carers of young people in Croydon with additional needs.”

“We are increasing investment in our voluntary and community sector through the Community Fund which offers organisations some certainty over the next three years.

“The Community Fund offers a really impressive programme of activity and services for the borough which will benefit our communities and I look forward to seeing delivery get underway.

“Our smaller grants programme for projects under £15,000 will also reopen throughout the year providing some further funding opportunities for organisations.”

Councillor Hamida Ali, cabinet member for safer Croydon and communities

2020-01-06T10:10:23+00:00 January 6th, 2020|Recent news|