The council’s Innovate and Cultivate Fund helps voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations to set up special projects. The scheme is focused on making communities and organisations better equipped to support vulnerable residents.
Local organisations are invited to apply for funding, with applications considered by a panel who assess each bid against set criteria.
The fund is currently offering Cultivate grants of £2,000 - £15,000 for initiatives that encourage local networks where people help themselves and each other.
To be eligible, all projects must be either new, or build on an existing project in a new location or with new beneficiaries. They must also show that they will reduce pressure on council services by helping to support the county’s more vulnerable residents.
Earlier this year, 12 applications were made for Cultivate grants and nine bids from the following groups were recommended for funding:
C3 Church
Cam Sight
Haddenham Arts Centre CIC
Headway Cambridgeshire
Kings Hedges Family Support Project
Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust
St Peter’s Church Yaxley
The Edmund Trust
Young People’s Counselling Service
The applications were approved at a meeting of the council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee on Thursday 11 November, bringing the total amount of funding from the scheme to £1,955,517 for 91 projects since 2016.
Councillor Tom Sanderson, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, said: “I would like to congratulate the nine groups for their successful applications. These funds will make a positive difference to the organisations and help them achieve their goals and thus benefit the neighbourhoods that they reside in.
“This fund is focused on developing strong and sustainable communities by creating new opportunities for people. Since launching in 2016, the fund has helped dozens of groups to make a real difference to our communities.”
You can find more information about the scheme as well as grant application forms and criteria at http://www.cambscf.org.uk/icf.html