Grassroots Grants Fund

Norfolk Community Foundation has been awarded the role of Local Funder for the Governments Grassroots Programme for England funded through the Office of the Third Sector. There are two elements to this programme:

• £1.1 million of new funding available for small community and voluntary groups in Norfolk to be delivered by the Foundation before March 2011.
• An Endowment Match Challenge to create a permanent source of community capital for Norfolk. The programme offers Norfolk £820,000 which we can match against new endowed funds raised at a rate of £1 for every £2 of new money raised. If successful we will achieve £2.4 million of permanent community capital for Norfolk, the interest from which will provide grant support for communities in Norfolk in perpetuity.

The drive to successfully complete the Challenge is being spearheaded by the Foundation’s Joint Patrons HM Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk Richard Jewson and The Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich and Chairman Theodore Agnew.

Grassroots Small Grants Programme

To qualify groups must:

• Have a formal constitution and bank account.
• Have been active for more than a year.
• Have an income of less than £30,000 a year.
• Be largely volunteer led.
• Be meeting local community needs.

Norfolk Community Foundation has successfully spent all of the money available for year 1 and year 2 of the programme. We therefore have no further Grassroots funds to give out until after 1 April 2010.

We are still inviting applications in the mean time and will direct these to our other funding streams or assess them in readiness for our next allocation of Grassroots funds, totalling £180,000 which is available from April onwards.
 
Grants of between £250 and £5,000 are available. Groups can apply more than once but can only receive a maximum of £5,000 over the lifetime of the programme.

As 2010/11 is the final year of Grassroots all groups must ensure they can complete their project and return the End of Grant Monitoring Form by 31st March 2011.

To apply, download an application pack.

To discuss your application further or if you have any questions, please telephone the Grant Team on 01603 623958. 

Support with funding advice and organisational issues can be sought through our partners in the Grassroots Grants Programme

Norfolk RCC Ambassador Way Greens Road Dereham NR20 3TL	Voluntary Norfolk 83-87 Pottergate Norwich NR2 1DZ	West Norfolk Voluntary and Community Action 16 Market Place King’s Lynn PE30 1JN
Tel: 01362 698216	Tel: 01603 614474	Tel: 01553 760568