Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations - SCVO. Supporting the Growth of Community Action in Sandwell.

SCVO is pleased to announce its new role as distributor for a new round of small grants from the Making Voices Heard! programme in Sandwell. Applications are now invited for grants to help voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups communicate and network more effectively.

Making Voices Heard! is for Sandwell based voluntary or community groups that have a governing document, and an average income above £20,000 per annum. Organisations with annual income below £20,000 should enquire under our separate Grassroots Grants programme.

Awards will be from £500 up to £2,500 per group as a single payment. The grants may be spent, for example, on special events, newsletters, websites, posters or any reasonable activity that will bring about wider knowledge of volunteer led work in the Borough. To evaluate the awards, there is a requirement to produce full evidence of expenditure and complete a monitoring questionnaire.

This is a once-only opportunity and all applications must be received at SCVO no later than 5.00pm on Friday 9 January 2009.

SCVO’s Chief Executive, Mark Davis comments “We are delighted to see Sandwell Partnership has been able to fund Making Voices Heard! opportunities again, and SCVO is ready to deliver the grants. We know from earlier rounds how well the scheme can work to raise awareness of the many fine examples of community activity in Sandwell.”

Guidance notes and an application form for this fund are available to view and download by clicking on the following link http://www.scvo.info/support-services/making-voices-heard/

You can also request an application pack by contacting Martin Allcott or a member of the Capacity Building Team at SCVO on 0121 565 8939.