Funding programme helping communities across north Highlands
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Community groups in Caithness are among a number across the north Highland area benefiting from a new support fund set up to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Launched in March, the North Highland Initiative (NHI) Community Support Programme is already awarding grants of up to £1000 for small initiatives in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire covering education, conservation and community service and support.
Priority is being given to those initiatives where government support packages are unable to help, and those ineligible for emergency grants.
About 15 community groups in the north Highlands have already been awarded grants totalling more than £14,000 from the programme.
In Caithness and north Sutherland these include Caithness Community Connections, Dunnet and Canisbay Community Covid-19 Response, Castletown Community Covid-19, John O'Groats Development Trust, Farr Primary Parent Council and North Coast Connection.
Others being helped are Dornoch Food Bank, Gairloch Food Bank, Tain Youth Café, Shieldaig Coronavirus Community Support, Applecross Covid-19 Community and Support, Cromarty Care Project and Highland Seedlings’ Fearn Free Food Garden.
The North Highland Initiative was established in 2005 as a direct result of the Duke of Rothesay’s involvement in bringing together the farming community, local businesses and the tourism industry to address the challenges facing rural communities. The NHI also seeks to develop a regional identity for the area.
The charity’s three key areas of activity are food and farming, tourism, and community support and leadership.
Given the current crisis, and for the foreseeable future, applicants for the NHI Community Support Programme must be able to demonstrate that their project has been established as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Applicants must show that their project meets a "genuine and urgent community need", and that the project carries no financial benefits for private individuals within the community.
The programme is unable to support applications from statutory organisations, individuals or projects outside the north Highland region.
While the current fund does not have a deadline as such, funding is limited, and guidelines will be reviewed at the end of April.
David Whiteford, the NHI chairman, said: “We’ve had an amazing response to our Community Support Programme so far, but we want to encourage even more community groups from across the north Highlands to apply.
“This vital new initiative is a means of financial help, aimed at communities that are experiencing particular hardship as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Our aim is to target areas, projects and local initiatives for which government support packages may not be able to assist, and those ineligible for emergency funding.
“With a limit of £1000 of funding per project available, this allows us to provide multiple smaller grants aimed at reaching out to as many communities as possible.
“Application forms are now available on our website and funds are ready to be distributed. Our Community Support Programme structure will be periodically reviewed in line with the progress of the current pandemic and our application process may reflect this.”
For more information about the North Highland Initiative’s Community Support Programme, and to apply for funding, visit http://www.northhighlandinitiative.co.uk/community-support
