Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is to make use of its existing Community Chest Grant Scheme, and boost it with an extra £20,000 added to the funding pot to offer up to £50,000 of additional financial support for community organisations and projects in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
This initiative will enable local community groups and organisations to bid for funding of up to £1,000 per project to support their responses to the pandemic, by being able to offer additional help during this difficult time. The decision to deliver further funding into the Huntingdonshire community is to ensure that the fantastic work that is happening, both in partnership with the council and in individual communities, can be supported across the district.
Cllr Ryan Fuller, Executive Leader of the Council, said: "I have seen first-hand the tremendous work that is going on across our district, and am proud of the generosity and civic spirit being demonstrated by our communities in helping one another. I am keen that HDC does whatever it can to support these great efforts and we will therefore make available an initial £50,000 to be distributed in grants to assist local community groups in their vital work.
"Huntingdonshire has always been a community that takes pride in looking after each other, which has meant the response and support from local community groups and projects has been no surprise. The COVID-19 Community Chest Grant Scheme can be used to apply for funding that can help to continue this great work or pioneer new projects and initiatives that will support Huntingdonshire residents during the current crisis."
If you would like to apply for funding from the Community Chest, you should read the eligibility criteria [PDF, 0.1MB] and complete the online application form. Applications will be considered by councillors on a weekly basis, therefore you can expect to receive a decision on whether your application has been successful no more than 7 days after submitting it.