[cma-l] Name of £130m community funding programme announced

[CMA-L]

The Government announced this week that its £130m community funding
programme will be called Grassroots Grants.

The programme, which will be run by the Community Development
Foundation, is to launch in the new year. It will be divided into two
parts: £80m will be used to make small grants for community
organisations and a new £50m endowments fund will be established to
help local foundations attract match funding from the private sector,
to be invested as future funding for nearby community groups.

The £50m fund was first announced in July's third sector review as a
means of ensuring sustainable funding for community organisations over
the long term.

The Community Development Foundation has stressed that existing
regional grant-givers are welcome to apply to be local funding
partners.

"Community-based organisations are at the very root of civil renewal,
bringing local people together and empowering them to meet local needs
or transform local environments," said Phil Hope, Minister for the
Third Sector. "But we know they often struggle to gain finance,
placing enormous constraints on their ability to operate. That's why
Grassroots Grants is aimed at improving the funding available to the
very smallest of community organisations."

Alison Seabrooke, chief executive of the Community Development
Foundation, said: "At a local level, grass-roots grants will support
local community-based activity in small voluntary and community groups
through the small grants programme, while also building the capacity
of local funding partners and sustaining small grant giving through
the endowment programme."

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