Caithness organisations urged to apply for Co-op Local Community Fund
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The Co-op has today (Tuesday) opened applications for its Local Community Fund and is looking for local causes in Caithness to apply.
Over the past six years Co-op has supported 45 good causes within the county and now groups are being given the chance to apply for funding via coop.co.uk/causes once again.
The fund is continuing to support local organisations that are involved in providing access to food, helping to improve mental wellbeing or provide opportunities for young people and, for the first time, causes that are working to protect local biodiversity or tackle climate change.
Groups looking to deliver projects in any of these areas are being encouraged to apply online for the fund, which, through the help of Co-op members, has raised over £85m for nearly 30,000 projects since it began in 2016.
When Co-op members buy selected products and services 2p for every £1 spent goes into their membership account. The same amount is then given to support national community organisations through the Community Partnership Fund and local causes via the Local Community Fund.
Members can choose the causes they wish to support and, with the help of Co-op’s Community Wellbeing Index, go online to compare their community with 28,000 others across the UK. By entering a postcode the index will reveal a community’s overall wellbeing score and indicate its performance across nine specific areas, including education, health and open spaces, helping members prioritise where to send their support.
Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and membership at the Co-op, said: "Since the Local Community Fund began, we have raised an amazing £85m for grassroots causes, as a direct result from the support of our members.
"Also, by applying for the Local Community Fund, groups will join our online community centre, Co-operate, which can help them find additional resources, as well as further donations, making this not just a fund, but a partnership.
"Even if a funding application is not successful, the group will still be a part of a network of over 12,000 groups on Co-operate.
"And for the first time I’m so pleased to announce that we have extended the criteria to include causes that are particularly dedicated to helping tackle biodiversity and carbon reduction, from local community gardens to small scale renewable energy schemes."
In the previous round of funding, announced earlier this year, nine good causes from across Caithness and Sutherland received funding – Thurso Community Café, Thurso Youth Club, Wick Paths Group, Caithness Mental Health Support Group, Wick Academy Youth, Strathnaver Museum (Bettyhill), Move it Monster Club (Brora), Go Golspie Development Trust and Sutherland Care Forum.
Causes wanting more information about applying for the next round of the Co-op’s Local Community Fund should visit coop.co.uk/causes – applications close on May 29, 2022.
