New Fund for Community Groups in Cambridgeshire!

Local community groups are to get a boost as Cambridgeshire has been chosen as one of the areas to receive three years funding between 2003 and 2005 from the £150 million Local Network Fund for Children and Young People. The Local Network Fund enables local voluntary and community groups to tackle child poverty and provide opportunities for young people. £360,000 is available for Cambridgeshire groups to bid for in this financial year. The Local Network Fund is a programme of the Government's Children and Young People's Unit and is administered in Cambridgeshire by Cambridgeshire ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).

Local Network Funds are used to support local and community groups under four main themes. These are:-

The Local Network Fund consists of grants between £250 and £7,000 for groups working those aged between 0 and 19 years. The Fund’s budget is £40 million for this year and for each of the following two years. These funds are used by voluntary and community organisations for projects benefiting children and young people and include setting up, administrative and outreach and support costs. The Fund is managed by the Children and Young People’s Unit and administered through a network of 57 local funds. The Children and Young People’s Unit works in partnership with community foundations, rural community councils, councils for voluntary service and other grant making trusts to provide an experienced fund administrator in each area.

Local voluntary or community groups interested in applying for a grant should contact the Local Network Fund Call Centre on 0845 1130161 (RNID Typetalk 180001 0845 1130161) or the Local Network Fund Development Officer, at Cambridgeshire ACRE, Mrs Jennifer Roberts on +44(0)1353 860850 or alternatively E-Mail: .

April 2005