NORTH Yorkshire charities have been urged to apply for a share of a £6m funding pot by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.
The People's Postcode Lottery has opened the bidding process for the 2017 distribution of money raised by players of the postcode lottery.
The £6m will be allocated through three trusts, which support different categories of projects including sport, the arts, volunteering and wildlife.
There are two opportunities for groups to apply in 2017 – January and August – and £3 million will be available for each funding round.
The application process is simple. The first round – which opens this week and runs until February 10 – starts with organisations being encouraged to submit an 'expression of interest' form. Charities will then be shortlisted to complete a full application for funding.
In August, interested groups and organisations can apply or re-apply when a second pot of £3million will become available. The maximum a project can receive is £20,000.
Mr Sunak urged local charities to tap into this relatively new funding stream:
He said: “This could be the year to get a special project off the ground to benefit our community. The money will be allocated to lots of different types of initiatives and it’s great opportunity for local charities to get additional support.”
The People’s Postcode Trust seeks applications for projects that focus on the prevention of poverty, promotion of human rights, equal rights and conflict resolution for some of society’s most vulnerable groups. Postcode Local Trust supports wildlife, sustainability and volunteering initiatives. Postcode Community Trust focuses on grass-roots sports, arts, recreation and healthy living programmes.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £168.4 million to date for over 2,800 good causes across Great Britain and internationally. In North Yorkshire, the postcode lottery has given previously grants aided the Clervaulx Trust at Croft and Marrick Priory Outdoor Education and Residential Centre, near Richmond.
For more information on how to apply for funding, visit the Trusts’ websites:www.postcodetrust.org.uk www.postcodelocaltrust.org.ukwww.postcodecommunitytrust.org.uk