Grants are 'there, waiting to be accessed' says council as it encourages applications

Shrewsbury Town Council says it still has community grants available to help local organisations – but time is running out to get applications in.

The Community Grants Fund pot has been increased by £20,000, meaning the authority is investing £27,250 for the latest round of awards, up to an individual maximum of £3,000.

Applications can be from any group, club, committee or charity, which is improving the lives of the residents of Shrewsbury.

The deadline for applications is July 5 and those applications will then be considered at a meeting of the council’s finance and general purpose committee on July 15.

The council says the fund is part of its ongoing commitment to support local organisations in achieving their aims to enrich the local community.

Amanda Spencer, deputy town clerk, said: “The Community Grants Fund is a great opportunity for local groups to realise the ambition of fulfilling their project for the benefit of the local community – but we would encourage them to get those applications in now as time is short.

“There are many groups within our area who are working hard to improve their own particular communities, making a real difference to the lives of people who reside there. We have supported many of these worthy causes over the past four years from a funding pot of more than £7,000 annually.

“It has been hugely successful – to the point where the total amount of money that we are now able to award through these grants has been increased to £27,250 for the year, allocated in two tranches, one in July and the other in February.

"Money that is there, waiting to be accessed through an approved application.

“To apply, these organisations must have a constitution or set of rules, a bank account and Public Liability Insurance. The grant can fund either new projects or continued services and may be used as match funding.

“Applicants will need to show how well the grant will meet the needs of the community, how effectively a group will use the grant, whether the costs are appropriate and realistic, the level of contributions raised locally, whether the applicant could reasonably have been expected to obtain sufficient funding from a more appropriate source, how the group is managed and how the grant positively benefits residents living within the parish of Shrewsbury.

“Unfortunately, consideration will not be given to individuals, applications from within a business or profit-making enterprise, where those benefitting from the grant don’t live in Shrewsbury, applications of more than £3,000, applications for already completed projects or where items have already been purchased.”

The other criteria an applicant must meet is to fulfil at least two of the town council’s general aims & objectives.

They are – 'Providing a democratic representational voice for the Shrewsbury community', 'supporting and contributing to the economic and social life of the town and regeneration of the local community', 'encouraging and promoting the economic and commercial vitality of the town', 'preserving the unique identity of Shrewsbury and promoting its heritage', 'creating a socially inclusive and caring community', 'protecting and improving the environment of the town', and 'promoting sustainable development'.

For more information about the Community Grants Fund people can visit https://www.shrewsburytowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024-25-Community-Grants-Guidance-Notes-2.pdf