£4.2m for voluntary sector
Wednesday June 30, 2010
The first round of voluntary sector grants proposals for the year ahead were published today. There will be a second round later in the year.
A report to Cabinet on 15 July recommends an overall allocation of £4.4million to the local voluntary sector, a reduction of £158k for 2010/11. Read the report (pdf).
In this round, 35 organisations are recommended to receive £2.6 million, including 16 organisations receiving financial support for the first time. The second round of funding to retender the remainder of the budget will be advertised later this year.
The council says it spends significantly more on the voluntary sector than the majority of London councils and says the process for groups to bid for funding is both fair and transparent.
“We allocate financial support to those organisations who bid to provide the services our local residents need most,” says Cllr Joe Carlebach, cabinet member for community services. “Our focus is on which bidders provide the best services at the best value for our residents. We do not have the luxury of being able to give out grants simply because an organization previously received one."
Organisations were asked in September 09 to submit bids for four categories of services; infrastructure, families, economic wellbeing and health(older people). The deadline for applications was 5pm on 30 November. Since then, all applications have been subject to a detailed and transparent assessment process by council officers to identify a cluster of organisations under each area which will offer the best services to residents.
Forty two community groups have also been awarded £100,000 worth of small grants under the council’s Fast Track grants scheme.
In addition, the council says it is pursuing additional sources of external funding for the voluntary sector and hopes to have a positive announcement imminently.
One of the organisations recommended for approval as part of the grants report will provide other third sector organisations with tailored help with fund-raising and securing other sources of financial backing.
