The latest funding round sees 16 organisations celebrating as they have been awarded a share of £195,000 of grants from the East Coast Community Fund. The awards take the total number of projects supported to 234.
One group who are celebrating being awarded a grant are R-evolution who will receive £20,253 to expand the provision of Cycle Hubs in Grimsby and Immingham. The Cycle Hubs aim to address social and economic deprivation in the area by offering a range of free services such as bike fixing, bike loans, and implementing a circular economy model.
On receiving the good news, Antony Forrester, Projects and Support Manager, R-evolution, said: “The incredible funding and support provided to R-evolution for the communities of Grimsby and Immingham are truly remarkable. As a small charity, R-evolution's mission is to ensure that everyone has access to a bicycle, empowering them to make healthier choices in active travel and providing opportunities for socialisation, exercise, and a balanced lifestyle. Without the generous support from the East Coast Community Fund, achieving our project goals at this level would have been uncertain.”
Last year, Ørsted announced that they were keen that organisations applying to the Fund are reflecting on their environmental impact, taking positive steps to minimise the carbon footprint of their project, and seeking opportunities to become more environmentally sustainable.
Through the grant application process, groups are now asked if they are taking steps to minimise the carbon footprint of the project, they are seeking funding support for, and whether the project will make a positive impact on the environment – in other words, is the project ‘Inspired by Green’? New judging criteria for the Fund is giving greater weighting to the answers to these questions.
The East Coast Community Fund is part of the community engagement programme for Ørsted. Each year, until 2037, approximately £390,000 will be available from the main fund to support a wide range of community and environmental projects.
An additional £75,000 per year is ring-fenced for a skills fund, designed to support a range of STEM educational and training initiatives.
The full list of organisations awarded grants in the latest round of the Community Benefit Fund are as follows:
Imran Nawaz, Senior Advisor & Community Benefit Fund Manager for Ørsted, said: “Our community benefit funds are a powerful tool to deliver critically important funding to our communities. We included communities at the start of each fund, asking them to shape what the fund to be what they needed, and we have then evolved as we’ve listened to how to respond to new challenges of our time - e.g. covid. Thank you to everyone who has applied. We look forward to seeing your work. “
The Fund is being administered by national charity GrantScape. There are two application rounds each year for groups to apply to, and the next closing date is 31 July 2024. For further details of how you can apply to the next round, please visit GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk or call 01908 247630.