Small Grants PB Fund Round 2: Community Groups in Cumbernauld Invited to Apply For Up to £1,000

Community and voluntary organisations are being invited by Cornerstone House Centre to apply for a small grant of up to £1,000 to deliver a proposal which will benefit one or more communities within Greater Cumbernauld. 

Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 is being rolled out with a view to funding multiple community activities and projects which seek to support, strengthen and improve the Cumbernauld area and its people. It is an initiative of Cumbernauld CAN (Community Anchor Network), a Scottish Government-supported community capacity building project launched in 2020.

Earlier this year, 11 community groups received funding and initiated a range of successful projects through Small Grants PB Fund Round 1. This funding round enabled activities such as establishment of a new weekly running event in Cumbernauld, continuation of a ‘Sheila Shed’ group for older women in the local area, facilitation of outings for children with additional support needs and teaching repair skills to Cumbernauld citizens.

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CUMBERNAULD CAN (COMMUNITY ANCHOR NETWORK)

Cumbernauld CAN a project of Cornerstone House Centre which strives to enable Cumbernauld residents and organisations to work together to become better at responding to local needs.

In this respect, ‘Cumbernauld CAN’ provides ways to help the local community improve the places where they live. The initiative focuses on the principles and objectives identified with Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.  

It was launched earlier this year on the back of Cornerstone House Centre completing the purchase of a significant town centre community asset at 1 Esk Walk, Cumbernauld, G67 1BZ, thanks to the support of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scottish Land Fund.

With this purchase now achieved, Cornerstone House Centre aims to further transform the physical building into a real community asset. The Cumbernauld CAN project provides a platform for this objective to be realised over a three-year period. This is being done in both a strategic and a practical way, with Cornerstone House Centre facilitating leadership and interventions as a recognised local Community Anchor Organisation.

SMALL GRANTS PB FUND ROUND 2: APPLY FOR A GRANT OF BETWEEN £100 AND £1,000

Through Small Grants PB Fund 2, not-for-profit community groups (including but not exclusively charities, SCIOs, social enterprises and unincorporated associations) operating or providing services within Greater Cumbernauld (incorporating Northern Corridor, Kilsyth and surrounding villages) can apply for a grant of between £100 and £1,000 to deliver any specified community-benefiting proposal. This includes groups that cover a wider geographical area but intend to utilise the funds specifically to benefit Greater Cumbernauld.

Originally, it had been intended that groups funded through Small Grants PB Fund Round 1 would be ineligible to apply for Small Grants PB Fund Round 2. However, this criterion has been relaxed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that no local organisation is excluded during this economically challenging period. As a result, groups previously funded are eligible to apply once again. Equally, proposals which seek to contribute to the Greater Cumbernauld area’s response to the pandemic are eligible for submission.

To submit a proposal, please download and complete Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 Application Form and email this to events@cornerstone-house.org.uk by no later than 12noon on Monday 30 November 2020. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

COMMUNITY VOTING: DECISION-MAKING VIA PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING 

Once the deadline for applications is reached, Cumbernauld citizens will be invited to be part of a Participatory Budgeting (PB) process to decide on which proposals are awarded funding. Participatory Budgeting is a methodology where ordinary people are given power to democratically and collectively make key decisions on how public funding is spent.

Hence, key information that applicant organisations provide about their proposal within their submitted Application Form will be included alongside details of all other proposals in an online Community Voting Survey. This will be promoted and distributed widely to individuals and organisations across Cumbernauld during December 2020.

After the Survey has closed, an independent and esteemed Cumbernauld CAN Steering Group will verify the final results to ensure that transparency has been adhered to. Finally, voting results will be publically released in January 2021 and a proportion of proposals receiving the highest number of votes will be funded.

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For further information on Small Grants PB Fund Round 2, or to request an Application Form by post, please contact Cornerstone House Centre on 01236 739220 or email events@cornerstone-house.org.uk.

Click Here to Download Small Grants PB Fund Round 2 Guidance Notes and Application Form