Community groups in Brighton and Hove have one week left to bid for grants from the Pride Social Impact Fund this year.
The fund has a pot of more than £30,000 to give out in grants – of up to £1,000 – for grassroots groups in need of support.
The fund said that the money comes from “the generosity of Pride attendees and local businesses”.
Applicants just have to send in their proposals of up to 400 words by midday next Friday (13 December) to Bhsocialimpactfund@gmail.com.
Tim Ridgway, chairman of the Pride Social Impact Fund, said: “In just a few years the Pride Social Impact Fund has given dozens of grassroots groups across Brighton and Hove invaluable support, ensuring that Pride has a positive impact on residents across the city all year round.
“Thanks once again to the support of Pride attendees and local businesses I am delighted to say that this year we have an incredible £30,000 to distribute to good causes.
“So whether your idea is big or small, I urge groups across the city to submit their bids as soon as they can.
“And I look forward to being able to help some amazing grassroots groups put a little bit of Pride back into our city.”
Projects do not have to be directly linked to Pride although applicants directly affected by the event will be favoured.
The main goal is that the proposal will brighten up people’s lives by the time Pride comes round again next summer.
Funding comes from money raised through the LoveBN1 Festival in Preston Park, along with £7,520 from businesses within the Pride Village party – as well as £10,000 of unspent money from 2018-19.
The application process for this year’s fund is open now and bids will be considered by a panel made up of representatives from The Argus, BBC Sussex, Brighton & Hove News, Brighton & Hove Independent, Sussex Life, Latest magazine and Latest TV.
Last year the panel handed out more than £45,000 to 40 community groups and charities across Brighton and Hove.
One of those grants was £672 to provide matching kit complete with Social Impact Fund logo for the St Peter’s Women’s and Girls’ Cricket Club.
Bridget Allen, from the cricket club, said: “Thanks so much for sponsoring our women’s cricket team with kit. Our first event was a 6-a-side tournament against five other teams and we won. Having the smart kit has given the team great confidence and bolstered the team spirit.”
The panel also awarded £500 to Community, Advice, Support and Education (CASE) to fund a science festival for dozens of families on low incomes in Hollingdean.
Felton Shortall, of CASE, said: “We would like to thank Pride Social Impact Fund for the donation of £500 that has helped make this free event possible. It has given many families in our deprived neighbourhood the opportunity to have fun learning about science that they would otherwise not have been able to afford.”
Another group to benefit was the Bees in the Woods Forest School, which received £960 to pay for isolated older people and their carers to attend forest school sessions along with under-fives in Easthill Park in Portslade.
When the project started, Simone Thorn, of Bees in the Woods, said: “It was a lovely opening with everyone involved and the very proud little Acorns were delighted at all the thanks and fuss they received from the Great Oaks. There was also woodland crafts, play in the mud kitchen and lots of chatter and smiles.”
How to apply
The Social Impact Fund has been set up to provide small grants for communal good. Grants are awarded annually to organisations or groups within the city, with particular emphasis on areas directly affected or in the footprint of Brighton and Hove Pride.
Submissions should be up to 400 words long setting out how the money will be spent and why the cause is deserving. The maximum award will be £1,000. There is no lower limit.
The panel also has the discretion to award one or two larger grants of up to £10,000. These bids need to comprehensively meet the criteria, namely supporting good causes in areas directly affected by Pride.
There is no restriction on numbers of entries by individual groups. However, the emphasis is on supporting community and grassroots groups, rather than individuals.
Applications should be emailed to Bhsocialimpactfund@gmail.com. The deadline is midday on December 13.
A panel of local media representatives will consider the applications before Christmas and successful applicants should hear the outcome by the end of the month.
Any money distributed needs to have had a visible outcome by the start of Pride 2020.
