Knowsley Council’s Cabinet formally agreed to the launch of the 2023/2024 Stronger Communities Fund at July’s full Cabinet meeting.
The fund, which totals £280,000, is made up of a commitment of £250,000 agreed as part of the Council’s budget on 8 March 2023 and a further £30,000 of unallocated funds from the 2022/2023 Stronger Communities Fund.
The Stronger Communities Fund is an important resource that enables the Council to support Knowsley’s voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector (VCFSE) to contribute towards the priorities outlined in the Knowsley Council Plan.
For the 2023/2024 fund, Knowsley Council will be giving priority to grant applications which will tackle the impact of the ongoing cost of living crisis on residents and those which will help build further capacity for youth provision in the borough.
Grants of up to £2,000 and £10,000 will be available and organisations will only be able to apply for one allocation.
New organisations or existing organisations launching new projects can be make applications for grants of up to £2,000. Applications for grants up to £10,000 must be made by established organisations wishing to sustain activity or expand/extend current activity.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, said: “Our voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector play a vital role in supporting residents across our borough, and I know that additional funding support such as this will be welcomed. Especially with the continued economic uncertainty due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
“Over the past six years, we have invested £1.45m into the sector, and this has enabled numerous organisations to grow and support our residents. I believe this demonstrates our continued commitment to enabling the sector to support our communities and working partnership to achieve the objectives outlined in The Knowsley Council Plan.”
Grant applications will open end of July with funding expected to be released in December – subject to Cabinet approval.
Full details of the application process will be released in due course.
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