The Big Lottery Fund has announced a new £5m grant programme for communities across the UK to celebrate what makes their local place great.
Launched to coincide with The Queen’s 90th Birthday, local groups and organisations of any size are being invited to apply for funding, with grants between £300 and £10,000 being available, to hold events or activities that will “bring people together and celebrate what makes their local community special”.
The programme is called Celebrate, and follows a survey by the Big Lottery Fund that found that more than 40 per cent of respondents would like to celebrate their local history, and more than two fifths of those ages 16 to 24 would celebrate their local culture, art or music. It also found that 63 per cent of people asked reported that they have never or cannot remember ever coming together to celebrate their local neighbourhood.
A total of £3.8m is available in England, with £575,000 for projects in Scotland, £325,000 in Wales and £225,000 in Northern Ireland.
Peter Ainsworth, UK chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Celebrate gives people the chance to come together, whether that’s to mark something important to their community like The Queen’s 90th birthday, commemorate a historic local event, or simply get to know your neighbours better. We want to celebrate what makes your local community great, so I’d encourage groups of all sizes to get in touch with us with their ideas.”
The Big Lottery Fund has said applicants must be part of a constituted group which has its own bank account. It welcomes applications from voluntary or community organisations, schools and statutory bodies, particularly those who have never considered the Big Lottery Fund as a potential source of funding.
Applications are now open and are available on a first come first serve basis. See here for more information and to apply.
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