The Lovewell Blake Community Fund gives out grants of up to £2,000 to charities, voluntary groups and community organisations, distributing money raised by staff and partners at the firm during the past 12 months.
In the last grants round £18,500 was shared by 18 organisations, with grants ranging from £235 to £2,000 going to a wide variety of good causes including an organisation providing yoga classes for those living with multiple sclerosis, a local history group, a children’s football club, a village green charitable trust, and a social club for deaf people.
The Lovewell Blake Community Fund was set up in 2008 to mark the firm’s 150th anniversary, with the aim of raising £150,000 for local charities and community groups. To date the fund has given out grants worth over £340,000. The fund is administered by the Norfolk Community Foundation, in partnership with its counterparts in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
“We are delighted to open the latest grants round from our LB150 Fund,” said Tracy Cox, chair of Lovewell Blake’s fundraising committee and grants panel. “It is a real pleasure to receive applications from smaller, local groups, as these are the organisations working at grassroots level in our communities which can really make a big difference.
“We are keen to receive grant applications from small community groups with an annual income of less than £50,000, and especially those which have a high degree of volunteer involvement. Grants can cover the costs of small capital items such as sports equipment.
“We have worked hard with the Community Foundation to make the application process simple, and I would urge organisations to come forward and bid for a share of this year’s fund.”
Community organisations interested in applying for grants from the Lovewell Blake Community Fund can apply via their local Community Foundation. The deadline for grant applications is 23rd October.
Links to full details and how to apply are as follows:
For organisations based in Norfolk: www.norfolkfoundation.com/funding-support/grants/groups/lovewell-blake-fund
For organisations based in Suffolk: www.suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/lovewell-blake-fund
For organisations based in Cambridgeshire: www.cambscf.org.uk/lovewell-blake-fund