17 Mar 2010
Source: S McCrossan
Community groups and local projects across North Lanarkshire are being urged to apply for major funding which could help to transform their local environment.
Over the next two years grant support of £750,000 is available via the Environmental Key Fund (EKF) which was established in 2004 to distribute Landfill Community Fund money to environmental and community initiatives in North Lanarkshire.
Since the EKF was launched, a wide range of local projects including church groups, children's playgroups and other community projects have benefitted to the tune of almost £900,000 and an additional £240,000 committed to community and environmental projects.
Any not-for-profit organisation located in North Lanarkshire is eligible to apply to the EKF for funding with awards being made through three separate programmes.
The EKF is particularly keen to encourage applications to its Flagship Programme which provides funding of between £100,000 and £150,000 for initiatives which promote transformational change within their local community.
The next deadline for applications to the Programme is 3rd September 2010.
Councillor John Pentland, Chair of the EKF, said: "A wide variety of excellent community projects have already received significant financial support since the EKF was launched in 2004.
"With further funding now available through our Flagship Programme we are keen to encourage more groups to apply as soon as possible."
In addition to the Flagship Scheme the EKF also provides support through its Small Grants and Main Grants Programme.
The Small Grants Programme provides grants of up to £2000 for small-scale community projects which provide a public facility for leisure or recreation, improve biodiversity or maintain or restore a place of worship or listed building. The deadline for applications to this programme is 3rd December 2010.
The Main Grants Programme provides grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 with project objectives in line with those of the Flagship Programme. The deadline for applications is 4th June 2010.
To qualify for funding, projects should be focused on one of the following objectives:
- the remediation of contaminated land or water
- the reduction or mitigation of the effects of pollution
- the provision or improvement of a park or other public amenity for leisure or recreational purposes
- the conservation of biodiversity at a specific site
- the maintenance, repair or restoration of a place of worship or building of historical or architectural significance
Full details on the application process and the grants available can be found at www.environmentalkeyfund.com.
The last round of grants saw more than £135,000 awarded to nine projects in the area, which will help draw down a further £340,000 applicant and partner investment for community facilities in North Lanarkshire.
The recipients included:
- Abronhill Parish Church
- Living Waters Community Outreach Project
- Motherwell South Parish Church
- Netherton Methodist Church
- Auchinloch Mother & Toddlers Group
- Shotts EU Congregational Church
- Bellshill & District Community Forum
- Petersburn Development Trust
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
Lynsey Sharp, secretary of Auchinloch Mother & Toddlers Group, which was awarded £30,000 from the Main Grants Programme to help fund a new children's play park, said: "We were absolutely delighted to hear that our application had been successful. The EKF grant will allow us to build a fantastic new facility for kids in the area.
"Our team has put a lot of hard work into the funding application including carrying out consultation with adults and children throughout the local area to get their views on what kind of park they'd like to see in the village.
"We're thrilled that we've been given the green light and we're looking forward to work starting on the facility later this year."
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