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Grassroots Grants is a three-year scheme to March 2011, aimed at very small local community groups. Sussex Community Foundation holds budgets for Brighton & Hove, East and West Sussex.

Who can apply?
Not for profit, voluntary or community groups who:
• Have been active in their local community for a year or more
• Have an average income over three years of less than £20,000 per year, taken as an average turnover for the last 3 financial years (or over the life of the group if less than three years old).
• Work for the benefit of their local community
• Are led by volunteers
• Have a written set of rules or constitution

Size of Grant
Applications can be made for between £250 and £5,000. Groups can apply more than once until they have received a maximum of £5,000 in total.

Download a Grassroots application form and grant guidelines or request a pack from our office on 01273 403980 or info@sussexgiving.org.uk.

The first closing date for applications to Grassroots Grants is 31st August and the first grants will be made in September 2008.

 
ESFRS Community Safety Partnership Grant 2008 ~ 2009
 
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is delighted to be able to invite applications to the Community Safety Partnership Grant.
 
The grant is a new scheme that is being trialled by the Service as means of encouraging activity by voluntary organisations that supports our community safety objectives.
 
Community Safety Objectives:
 
a) Reducing Fires & the extent of fires in properties and the number of people killed or injured in them.
 
b) Reducing the number of anti-social deliberate fires.
 
c) Reducing the number of road traffic collisions and the number of people killed or injured in them. 
 
d) Reducing the number of malicious calls for fire & rescue services.
 
e) Contributing to the reduction of fire-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.
 
The Service invites applications for one-off grants that are within the range of £1,000 to £2,000. The scheme will be evaluated and subject to success consideration will be given to operating the scheme in future years.
 
The closing date for receipt of applications at East Sussex Fire & Rescue Headquarters, 20 Upperton Road, Eastbourne, BN21 1EU will be 4:00pm Friday 26th September 2008.  Late or incomplete applications will not be eligible for consideration.  All the information can be accessed on our website www.esfrs.org by clicking the link on the 'home page'.  

A round up of the latest consultations you maybe interested in.

Reviewing the Compact 2008 – statutory, voluntary and community groups working together – views on how it’s working and what you think of the 2008 Action Plan. Closes 11th September

Improving your access to family information – KITES survey. Experience on finding out information for your family. Closes 20th September

Supporting people – new services to support vulnerable people – views on future plans of programme (16-65) Closes 22nd August

All available via E Sussex website through ‘Have your Say’ link on front page.

National Consultation on Play
The government has launched an interactive website to encourage children to give their views on play and play areas. The website gives children the chance to design their own play space using playground favourites. It includes questions that children can answer by ticking boxes. The more questions answered the more points they earn to spend on designing their own play space. They also have the opportunity to draw their ideal play space, with a prize of a digital camera for the best one. www.dfes.gov.uk/playspace

July's E-Bulletin

The Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust are running a small grants programme in 2007/08 for Voluntary and Community Groups in Rother

Grants upto £1000 are available to support health improvement activites. These might include physical activities, stopping smoking or alcohol reduction projects, improving diet, improving mental well being.

Closing dates for applications 29th August 2008 and January 30th 2009. Groups must have a written constitution.

Download the guidance and application forms below

Here is the first edition of our new quarterly newsletter "Rother Community Times"

We're now over half way through the project. Here is our Mid Term Report.

 ‘Promoting Social Enterprise’ was one of 18 projects set up  under the auspices of the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative to promote enterprise growth in the Hastings and Bexhill area. The project commenced in December 2006 and is due in its present form to finish in March 2009. The Project is on track to meet its targets. To date contact has been made with in excess of 85 organisations individuals with over 220 face to face contacts having been undertaken during the period. These contacts range from individual with an idea to share to third sector organisations needing to diversify and to become more enterprising to statutory organisations needing to be made more aware of the whole concept and possible benefits of social enterprises.

Download the full report below

The East Sussex Compact Steering Group, will be carrying out an annual review of the East Sussex Compact in September 2008, and would appreciate your input on what the Compact means to you and your organisation. The aim of the annual review is to:

• Build awareness of the Compact Report on events/activities to-date
• Collect and present evidence of successes and good practice
• Collect and present evidence of any bad practice and to learn and develop from these

The consultation process of this review will run from the 26 June until 11 September 2008. Take part now and complete the Annual Review Consultation Survey 2008, which can be downloaded from www.eastsussex.gov.uk/haveyoursay or below

To help you along the way we have compiled ‘Understanding the East Sussex Compact’.  The document is available on the East Sussex Compact web page: http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/community/partnerships/downloadcompact.htm

All documents are also available in hard copy by contacting Paul Rideout at paul.rideout@eastsussex.gov.uk

Burwash is currently running a local consultation. Download the Burwash Local Action Plan Questionnaire from here. Details of where to return it are on page 10. Please return BY 14th July 2008.

RVA has 2 digitial video cameras and laptops with editing software for use by community groups wishing to make short films. The equipment is not availble for use by private individuals or for commercial purpose.

The equipment is free to use by RVA members. Mmembership of RVA is free to community groups operating within Rother District. Click here to find more information on membership

Films can be uploaded to the Rother Free TV website here

 Contact the RVA office on 01424 217259 for more information