News MBC launches Community Resilience Fund
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is supporting local community groups to tackle the impacts of Covid-19 to help recovery and has launched a Community Resilience Fund.
The pandemic has continued for a lot longer than was first imagined, and the impacts have been felt deeply in our communities particularly for people experiencing loneliness, social isolation or mental health issues.
In response the Council has introduced the Community Resilience Fund today – Friday 17 December, to help organisations that have been affected to deliver activities to help people in their community and is inviting groups to apply for funding which could help.
The £160k fund will be distributed by MBC to local voluntary and community organisations who can apply for a grant between £500 and £5k (to be allocated dependant on their needs).
Cllr Simon Webb, Vice Chair of the MBC Communities, Housing and Environment Committee said:
Maidstone Borough Council is introducing the Community Resilience Fund to support organisations across the borough that have been helping others.This grant will assist the continued efforts of groups working with people in their communities that may have become vulnerable during the pandemic, and I would encourage all those who need help to get in touch or apply today. As a well-known supermarket once said – every little helps!
Funds from the grant will be distributed in three separate phases allocated across 12 months. The fund offers a one-off support payment for projects that benefit the residents of Maidstone and will be awarded according to the impact the pandemic has had on the organisation for the purpose of supporting recovery in the coming months.
Eligible projects that can apply for the Maidstone’s Community Resilience Fund could include, but are not limited to:
- Befriending schemes to tackle loneliness
- Youth groups providing recreation opportunities for young people
- Grassroots sports clubs who need funding to purchase kit and equipment for children to encourage increased fitness and mental wellbeing
- Support schemes targeting residents whose mental health has suffered because of loneliness or isolation due to the pandemic
- Projects to support employability schemes for residents that have faced unemployment caused by the pandemic
- Schemes designed to encourage residents to access nature for exercise and wellbeing
Applications should be able to demonstrate:
- How they will support people in the community
- Who will be supported by the project
- How it will be delivered
- What impact the project will have on people’s health and well-being
The first phase of resilience funding applications is open for 8 weeks and will close on 11 February 2022.
Anyone who would like to apply can access the online application form by going to: Maidstone Community Resilience Fund
All applicants will be contacted. If you have any questions about the scheme or require the application form in another format, please email: Communityresilliencefund@maidstone.gov.uk