‘Breathing space to explore, develop, overcome & achieve…’
With new funding on the horizon, our new report highlights the successes of organisations that received grants through the pilot Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales scheme.
The 2019-21 pilot scheme for the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales ‘Organisational Growth Grant’ has now come to a close, with all projects successfully delivering activities that have boosted the resilience of their organisation.
SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
In a highly competitive round, six organisations were successful in receiving funding from the Organisational Growth Grant.
- Bridgend YMCA – £36,287.36
- Community Care & Wellbeing Service (CCAWS) – £22,928.64
- Cruse Bereavement Support North Wales – £34,150.00
- Grow Cardiff – £48,952.00
- Mid Wales Rape Support Centre – £59,295.00
- Sistema Cymru – Codi’r To – £38,387.00
Director of Grow Cardiff, Isla Horton, said about the grant:
‘The Comic Relief grant has had some of the most far-reaching significance for Grow Cardiff of any grant or support we have received. I cannot overstate the importance and impact of your support to our organisational growth and sustainability.
‘The grant has enabled us to have the breathing space to explore, develop, overcome and achieve so much in the last 18 months. As an organisation we have grown from fragile start-up mode to a sustainable model of growth: deeper roots and strong shoots.
‘Without your support I am quite certain we would not have been able to achieve this fundamental transition, which in turn has enabled a thriving future legacy for the people and community gardens we support.
‘Above all, the grant has given us the precious commodity of time for our staff, our trustees and I to invest in the organisation’s core work, rather than a constant focus on delivering projects’.
Mike Wilkinson, Deputy Chief Executive of Mid Wales Rape Support Centre said:
‘While this grant has not been the largest that we have received, it has certainly been one of the most impactful. The nature of the grant has enabled us to invest in our future, rather than just reacting to the here and now’.
You can read the full achievements of all projects by downloading the report.
BACKGROUND
In July 2019 WCVA announced the launch of a new pilot scheme, the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales (CRCF). In partnership with regional County Voluntary Council (CVC) leads, WCVA successfully delivered this scheme as an intermediary of Comic Relief.
To ensure that Comic Relief funding reached grassroots groups, we designed the scheme with two elements: Small Community grants with a value of £1,000-£10,000, delivered via CVCs, and larger grants for organisational growth with a value between £30,000-£60,000, administered by WCVA.
The Organisational Growth grants awarded £240,000 to six organisations across Wales for projects which would build organisational capacity, develop a new area of work, or fill a skills deficit. The grant was highly competitive receiving 95 applications.
Grants were awarded in December 2019 with project delivery starting January 2020. Consequently, the pilot scheme was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but all organisations successfully adapted project delivery in challenging circumstances to fully meet the aims of the scheme.
COMIC RELIEF’S STRATEGIC THEMES
Comic Relief and Third Sector Support Wales (TSSW) recognise the great work that community led organisations do across Wales and designed the pilot scheme to help organisations to build their own capacity in a sustainable and impactful way. This aim was built alongside Comic Relief’s four Strategic Themes which all projects awarded demonstrated a contribution towards:
Children survive and thrive – Actions to give children the best start in life and access to opportunities to achieve their potential
Gender justice – Actions to improve equality for women and girls
A safe place to be – Actions to help vulnerable people improve their circumstances and safety
Mental health matters – Actions to enable access to support and increase awareness
NEW FUNDING ANNOUNCED
Due to the success of the pilot scheme, Comic Relief has confirmed the launch of the 2022-23 funding round for both the Small Grants and Organisational Growth grant – opening 18 April 2022. For more information, please visit the scheme webpage.
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