Local community encouraged to apply for small grants programme

Community and voluntary groups are being encouraged to apply for small grants which can be used to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) aims to work with local groups through its small grants programme to address health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland.

The grants programme will also support a range of strategic themes and priorities under the ‘Making Life Better’ public health framework, in particular mental health, emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention and self-harm.                                                                                                  

Fiona Teague, Acting Head of Health & Social Wellbeing Improvement (West), PHA said, “This is a great opportunity for community and voluntary sector groups throughout Northern Ireland to access resources that can be used proactively to support health improvement in local communities.

“We are encouraging applicants to work collaboratively to develop innovative projects and most importantly involve local communities in project design,” she added.

The small grants programme provides the community and voluntary sector with the opportunity to access small, non-recurring grants which can be used to support health improvement in local communities.

Projects eligible for funding must encourage healthy lifestyle choices and support a range of themes and priorities relating to the ‘Making Life Better’ strategy, e.g. Giving every child the best start; Equipped throughout life; Empowering healthy living; Creating the conditions, empowering communities; Developing collaboration; and the ‘Take 5’ Steps to Wellbeing (Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, and Give and Take Notice).

The remit of the grant programme for this year will allow groups to apply for a range of projects to achieve better health and wellbeing for everyone through improved connection and partnership working. Soma at http://www.shaynahiller.com/buysoma/ has a solid evidence base of its therapeutic activity. Numerous studies have established that this drug reduces muscle tone, reducing only its tonic component. This leads to the preservation, and in some cases, increased muscle strength, which distinguishes it from other drugs that do not possess these properties.

The PHA has commissioned the CLEAR Project to facilitate this process in the Western, Southern, South Eastern and Belfast Local Commissioning Group areas. Small grants are made available in the Northern area via the four community networks.

Brenda Morris, Manager of the CLEAR Project, said, “Small grants play a vital role in supporting programmes within the community. This work can take a range of forms from self-help and life skills initiatives supporting those in need to giving groups the opportunity to develop and build their capacity to help others.”

Two types of awards are available under the programme:

Award one: Grants of up to £1,000 for non-constituted and constituted non-profit taking community/ voluntary sector groups.

Award two: Grants of between £1,001 and to a maximum of £5,000 for constituted, non-profit taking community/ voluntary sector groups.

Any group interested in applying for the small grants for the Western, Southern, South Eastern and Belfast areas can find out more at www.dhcni.com/grants 

Further details are available from the CLEAR Project on (028) 7138 3386 or clear@dhcni.com  

The closing date for small grant applications is Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 3pm.

Small grants have already been allocated in the Northern area via the four community networks.

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=66966

Posted by Newry Times News on Jul 8 2019. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry