APPLICATIONS WELCOME For Community First projects running between Sept 14 -February 15. A Dragons Den to allocate the funding will be held in 16th Sept at 6pm at St Marks Church Hall to allocate the final year of funding. Email your applications in by 11 Sept at 5pm to be considered on 16.9.14. Check out the Dragons Den tab for details of the March 14 Dragons Den.
How much cash is available?
A maximum grant of £2,500 is available although it is expected most grants will be for smaller amounts. An important part of this grant is that groups have to prove they have match funded their grant. In practical terms for every £1 you are awarded you need to have raised £1. This could be from straight forward fundraising or from using volunteer time. Every hour a volunteer works on a project counts as match funding of £11. This means if we gave you a grant of £250 you would have to fundraise £250 or have evidence of 23 volunteer hours or a mix of both. In total £8,488 is available for the period Oct 2014 to Feb 2015. The grants for April 2013-March 2014 have already been allocated.
Where does this grant come from?
The Milton ward of Southend has been selected as one of the 600 areas to receive Community First funding from central government. A Community First panel has been set up in this area, made up of local people. These people are Matt King, Eileen O'Connor, Audrey Berry , Louise Harris, Jackie Paul, Anthony Quinn, Cllr Garston, Suzanne Barwell. This panel gives grants to projects which meet community first priorities for the Milton ward.
Milton Ward Community First Priorities
1. Improve and clean up the local environment, pavements and park especially dog fouling 2. Improve community relations between different ethnic groups in Milton 3. More free and low cost things for families and young people to do 4. Reduce alcohol consumption in the streets
Milton Ward is the area of central Southend running from Valkyrie Road in the west to Queensway in the east. The northern boundary of the ward is London Road and the southern boundary is the seafront.
Can my group apply for funding?
This grant should be used to build stronger and more resilient communities in the Milton ward of Southend. This means your project must mainly benefit communities in this area and have strong links to the Milton ward area. Only groups and not individuals can apply for this grant. Your group does not need to be a formal group but it will require a group bank account or an agreement with another group which has a bank account and is willing to receive the grant and pass it onto you. A condition of accepting a grant from us is that a group will work towards becoming a more formal constituted group if appropriate.
When is the deadline?
For projects which will be completed between Oct 2014 and Feb 2015 applications will be needed by 5 p.m. on 11.9.2014. The next Dragons Den will take place on 16.9.14 at 6pm. All projects will need to be completed by the end of Feb 2014.
What happens after I have handed in my application?
The applications are reviewed by the Community First panel members and if your application fulfils the grant criteria your group will be invited to the 16.9.14 Dragons Den. At this event your group has a chance to vote and be part of the grant allocation process. If possible it would be advisable to keep the Dragons Den date free.
How do I join Milton Community First Panel? You do NOT need to join the community first panel to apply for a grant, but we are keen for people who live in the ward of Milton or are involved in community building activities in the Milton area to join the panel. Please email us your details to register an interest in joining the panel and someone will be in touch. Email to: [email protected]
How do I apply for a Community First Grant?
To find out more and download an application form click on the blue button below: