Council relaunches £50,000 grant programme for community and voluntary groups

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has relaunched the ‘Do It For East Yorkshire Community’ Grant, with a Welcoming Places grant programme, funded by the Household Support Fund.

The fund offers grants between £1,500 to £2,500 for voluntary and community groups, as well as town and parish councils.

Applications are open from Wednesday 6 November and will close on Wednesday 4 December, with all projects needing to be delivered by Friday 7 March 2025.

Funds can be used for community venues which provide regular activities, such as village halls, community centres or church halls

This grant specifically supports activity that will provide regular welcoming place activity, open for members of the local community to attend.

Welcoming place activity can include refreshments, hot meals as well as contributions towards social activities i.e. arts and crafts, physical activity or board games & puzzles. Groups are also able to apply for a 10 per cent contribution towards energy costs, sessional staff and volunteer expenses.

The relaunch of the fund comes after the council awarded over £800,000 for community projects, between 2021 and March 2024. This saw over 65,000 people attend over 265 projects funded by the Do It For East Yorkshire community grant programme.

Organisations that received grants from the programme included lunch clubs, youth initiatives, enhancements to green spaces & welcoming place activity.

One project that received funding was the New Pasture Lane community centre in Bridlington. The centre received £4,000 for a Friday community lunch club, which provided hot meals and opportunities for residents to socialise. Ninety residents reported reduced social isolation due to the project, with 50 stating that it improved their mental health.

Councillor Anne Handley, East Riding of Yorkshire council leader said “We’re proud to support communities across the county and give our thanks to the essential work volunteers play in creating welcoming places. I encourage organisations to find out more about this grant programme and see if they are eligible for funding.”

More information only how to apply for the grant, and eligibility criteria, can be found at Do it for East Yorkshire