SOLENT SUPPORTING EMPLOYMENT GRANTS WORTH £700,000 NOW AVAILABLE

SOLENT SUPPORTING EMPLOYMENT GRANTS WORTH £700,000 NOW AVAILABLE TO HELP PEOPLE INTO EMPLOYMENT

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) is delighted to announce that a second round of funding worth £700,000 is available from 1st February 2021 through the ‘Solent Supporting Employment’ Grant Programme. Community groups, charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of between £30,000 to £60,000, to support local people wanting to get back into employment.

The grants will enable organisations with a proven record in employability to offer new and innovative projects, enabling those from BAME communities, people with disabilities, and people marginalised by factors such as mental health, age, childcare needs and homelessness to move closer towards, or into employment.

The first round of funding in Autumn last year supported 11 local organisations which shared grants worth £795,000. One of the groups to receive a grant was Pompey in the Community, which received support for the Blue Kitchen project, providing a practical course developing essential skills and techniques for those wishing to work in the catering industry in Portsmouth.

Abri, one of the south’s largest housing providers, is supporting unemployed people to get back into work in Gosport, Charles Dickens in Portsmouth, and Millbrook and Mansbridge in Southampton. The Unlimited Potential Project was awarded funding last year, to provide employment and wellbeing training, together with one-to-one support with an advisor and access to a careers hub.

Helen Stratton-Evans, Solent Supporting Employment Contract Manager added “Applicants planning to apply for this funding should firstly register for one of the four briefing webinars taking place during February 2021, via our website www.hiwcf.com. The aim of the briefings is to ensure awareness of the differing funding criteria which varies across the Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and Isle of Wight regions. Grants are available from the HIWCF website hiwcf.com/grants and we ask that all applications are submitted before the closing date at midnight on 1st March 2021.”

The programme has been created by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is part-funded by the European Social Fund, with match funding provided by Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and HIWCF donors. The focus is on helping people in areas where deprivation and unemployment are high.