Tag: funding

Council funding: for some, the wait goes on

Reprieve for some but others still await funding decision

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The city council has heralded a new way of distributing grants but some highly-regarded local voluntary sector projects still await the decisions that will determine their future. And with just six weeks before the start of the new financial year, management committees and voluntary boards across the city are faced with unpalatable choices: issue redundancy notices and risk losing staff or hope that all will be well with next year’s funding? Continue reading Council funding: for some, the wait goes on

New Lottery support to strengthen voluntary sector

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Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations will have the ability to improve their performance and sustainability, thanks to two new online tools supported by the Big Lottery Fund. Continue reading New Lottery support to strengthen voluntary sector

Hopes rise for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Some funding secured but the fight goes on

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Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre has received a boost ahead of a crucial funding meeting next week. It’s now recommended that the Centre WILL receive funding from Health and Social Care – albeit with a cut. Centre chairman Alex Dale says that’s welcome news – but stressed that the fight to save the centre is not over yet.

The Centre’s management committee received an update from Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds yesterday. She told Drylaw Community Association:

“Following my discussion with Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health and Social Care, I am pleased to inform you the Health and Social Care Committee meeting on 26th January will recommend funding for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.

I would be grateful if you could pass on this information to Board members and users of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.

The Children and Families Committee will make a decision on your other grant on 11th February and I will be strongly arguing for a grant to be awarded from this Committee.”

Welcoming the news, Drylaw Telford Community Association chair Alex Dale said: “It’s very good news for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre that Health & Social Care has decided to revisited our Grant Applicant and have decided to recommend for approval a grant award based at last year’s level minus 4.1 %.

“This is a positive step forward for the Centre’s future and its users  but the future of the centre will not be secured until the Children and Families report back on 11 February with a positive recommendation for the centre.

“On behalf of the Management committee I would like to thank the City of Edinburgh Inverleith Councillors who fought on our behalf to persuade their colleagues and council officers to reinstate this stream of funding and their ongoing support to secure funding from Children & Families.

“I would also like to thank our centre users and the community who took the time to support the centre via our on–line petition and those who took time to pop into the centre and sign our paper version – this very much appreciated but the campaign to secure the future of the centre goes on.”

Inverleith: YOUth decides!

It’s here! ‘YOU(th) DECIDE!’01 JAN INP youth decide

You(th) Decide! is an opportunity for young people aged between 11 and 18 to tell us what they think needs to happen in Inverleith to make it better for young people, and have a say on how local funds are spent (writes INP’s Elaine Lennon).

Councillor Gavin Barrie, Champion of Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership’s Young People’s Action Group, is asking young people to send us your ideas, and then, once young people have voted on their favourites, three projects costing around £1000 each will be implemented. Poster and proposal form here. Please pass on and help us get young people aware of this.

Spread the word! You can link to either the pdf (foot of page) or directly to the poster or form as jpeg on our noticeboard here:

http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/inverleith/local-info/local-noticeboard/

Please tweet the info too to help us get the info out, and proposals in, by the end of the month. I’ll watch out for them and retweet them, and please use @north_team and hashtag #inverleithnp if possible.

Finally, as you’d expect, there are a few guidelines that we’ll need to follow to ensure that we are spending public money on appropriate projects. These are also shown on the proposal form, but are that projects must be:

  • be located within Inverleith
  • be of benefit to a large number of people
  • not have any ongoing costs
  • be open to all
  • be able to be completed by September 2016

It would be great if you can remind young people of this when they are thinking of projects to apply for, or when you are encouraging them to apply.

YOUth Decide poster and proposal form 2016 final

 

Letters: False economy of funding cuts

NEDAC to close (2)

Dear Editor

Cuts in funding local authority services are happening again this year and will affect every person in varying degrees and add to the contraction in public services: services that are necessary and needed.

There are also other services provided daily by other organisations, mostly run by volunteers with some financial help from the council: these too are facing drastic cuts. Day Care clubs, lifelong learning and literacy classes, mentla health support,, befriending, support and information services, classes of all kinds and -very importantly – community transport to and from activities.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are helped out of isolation every week with all the benefit – both mental and physical – stemming from these services. Curtailing existing funding to these organisations is not only false economy but will see a deterioration in the health of those people affected, causing a far greater expenditure in other health and care costs.

The councils must rethink their attitude to these services – and, above all, their attitude to PEOPLE.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

EVOC looks for answers on third sector grants

Anger and anxiety over funding debacle

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Third sector umbrella organisation EVOC is to seek answers to funding queries following the uncertainty caused by Tuesday’s Education, Children and Families committee meeting.

The meeting was expected to recommend that organisations that had received funding in 2015/16 would be given the same amount as last year, while successful new applicants would receive 50% of their bid. However the key report was withdrawn on the eve of the meeting, leaving scores of community organisations in the dark over their futures.

Following the decision to withdraw the grant recommendations paper before Tuesday’s meeting, EVOC approached the Executive Director of Communities and Families for clarification and she has agreed to respond to questions collected by EVOC on behalf of organisations affected. 

EVOC’s Children, Young People and Families Network development worker Sarah Wade said: “If you wish to raise a question please email me at sarah.wade@evoc.org.uk by 10am on Monday 14 December.

“This will enable us to collate questions from the Sector and submit them to Gillian Tee as soon as possible. Please include the name of the organisation you represent when you contact me – this will not be included with your question. For those organisations who have already been in touch with me, I will include the questions you have already raised.”

Email sarah.wade@evoc.org.uk or call 555 9133 for further info

Continue reading EVOC looks for answers on third sector grants