Harlow Council is encouraging charities, voluntary and other not-for-profit organisations to apply for a partnership grant to help improve local residents’ lives before time runs out.
Partnership grants aim to support organisations that work to deliver positive contributions to the quality of life of Harlow residents, which are linked to the council’s objectives and demonstrate impact that is measurable.
The council’s process for inviting expressions of interest for the period 2022 to 2025 closes at the end of the month.
Working with community groups, the criteria for the grants was recently updated to better reflect local priorities, and then agreed by the Cabinet. Organisations will need to demonstrate how they contribute to the delivery of one or more of the following priorities:
- Support the town’s economic and social recovery from the pandemic, and address issues linked to the impact of long COVID on residents and business.
- Promote social inclusion and reduce inequality.
- Address the issues (affordability of food, challenges with debt and other financial worries) compounded by the increased cost of living.
- Reduce loneliness and social isolation.
- Improve opportunities for employment, training and skills development.
- Increase volunteering opportunities.
- Support physical and mental health, and broader wellbeing initiatives, alongside work to raise awareness of suicide prevention work.
Organisations need to submit their expression of interest before 11.59pm on Sunday 30 January 2022. The council will invite successful organisations to submit a full application as part of the next stage of the process to allocate the grants. Application packs will be sent out by email during the week commencing Monday 31 January 2022.
More information about the grants and how to express an interest
Councillor Joel Charles, Deputy Leader of Harlow Council, said:
“Partnership grants offer an opportunity to empower charitable and other community-based groups to build on their existing work and deliver greater impact. There is still time to submit an expression of interest. The grants process comes at an important time for many of the town’s not-for-profit organisations who have shown leadership during the pandemic to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Thanks to the contribution of several organisations who supported the work to update the priorities attached to the grants, there has been a refocusing on what matters – a further commitment to the recovery, so that nobody in our community is left behind as a result of the pandemic.”