Your Vote Counts: Vote Now To Decide Which Cumbernauld Community Projects Win Up To £500 Funding

The people of Greater Cumbernauld are being asked to help decide which local community projects receive small grant funding through participating in an online Community Voting Survey made live today.

The Survey, which can be accessed by clicking here, will determine which of 31 community and voluntary sector organisations operating in Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Northern Corridor and surrounding villages receive between £250 and £500 to deliver specified community projects to benefit the local area.

This activity forms part of Cumbernauld CAN (Community Anchor Network), a Scottish Government-supported project introduced by Cornerstone House Centre in 2020 which aims to develop the connected capacity of the Greater Cumbernauld community. The project strives to enable Cumbernauld residents and organisations to work together to become better at responding to local needs, built on the theme of community empowerment.   

A key element of the programme involves initiating Participatory Budgeting (PB) opportunities for local groups and citizens. Participatory Budgeting is a process where ordinary people are given power to democratically and collectively make key decisions on how public funding is spent. Mary McNeil, Development Manager at Cornerstone House Centre, commented:

“The Community Voting Survey launched today is to facilitate community-led allocation of Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, a small grants programme which was announced as part of Cumbernauld CAN in May 2021.

“Those living in Greater Cumbernauld and others with an interest in the wider Cumbernauld community are asked to participate in the online Survey, which will take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete. Respondents are invited to select the three proposals they believe to be most worthy of being funded.

“The proposals that can be voted for have been put forward by 2496 Cumbernauld Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets, 2nd Clyde Moodiesburn Scout Group, AD Framing, Auchinloch Community Council, Balloch Eastfield Football Club, Cardowan Community Meadow, Chryston and Muirhead Gala Committee, Croy Community Hub, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Care, Cumbernauld Community Forum, Cumbernauld Discoverers, Cumbernauld FM, Cumbernauld Junior Netball Club, Cumbernauld Male Voice Choir, Cumbernauld Poverty Action, Cumbernauld Resilience, Cumbernauld Scrabble Club, Cumbernauld Together, Etive Neighbourhood Watch, FAMS (Families Against Murder and Suicide), Friends of Gartcosh, Holy Cross Croy, Lanarkshire Epilepsy, New Adventures, North Area Crime Prevention Panel, North Lanarkshire Disability Access Panel, Northern Corridor Community Volunteers, PALS (Play and Learning Support), Thistle Divers, Wee Cycle Cumbernauld and Westfield Senior Citizens Group.

“It is anticipated that funding will be awarded to around half of all proposals (the most-voted-for ones), with the exact number of organisations receiving grants depending on the monetary value of the top ranked proposals.

“In February, almost 1,500 Survey votes resulted in awarding of funds to 27 organisations through Small Grants PB Fund Round 2. This funding round enabled activities such as the installation of a life-saving defibrillator for full-time use in the Chryston area, the purchase of clothing for primary school aged children affected by poverty and the furnishing of four refuge accommodation houses for Cumbernauld women and children affected by domestic abuse.

“If you have missed out an applying for funding through Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, the good news is that plans are afoot for Cornerstone House Centre to release another round of PB funding later in 2021.”

Through Small Grants PB Fund Round 3, community-led voluntary groups benefiting Greater Cumbernauld were invited to bid for a small grant of between £50 and £500 under the PB model. This was open to charities, SCIOs, unincorporated associations and any other not-for-profit group.

The Cumbernauld CAN project had originally intended for funding allocation to be decided through large in-person Community Voting Events, however this has not been possible so far in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

An online Community Voting Survey was considered as a fair alternative way for members of the public to have the opportunity to cast their vote, with the feedback and response rate of this during Small Grants PB Fund Rounds 1 and 2 being excellent.   

It is recognised online Community Voting processes do have some drawbacks, with some local people potentially not able to access the internet. If you are aware of anyone who would like to cast their vote but does not have a computer or internet access, please contact Cornerstone House Centre and a telephone or postal Survey response can be organised.

The deadline for submission of the online Community Voting Survey is Wednesday 30 June 2021 at 12.00noon. It is planned that Survey results will be publicly made available towards the end of July 2021, with funds to be distributed to successful applicant organisations by Monday 9 August 2021.

If you would like further information or have an enquiry in relation to the Community Voting process or Cumbernauld CAN project, please telephone Cornerstone House Centre on 01236 739220 or email events@cornerstone-house.org.uk.

Click Here to Complete the Community Voting Survey for Small Grants PB Fund Round 3

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Why not circulate the Community Voting Survey link (www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Cumbernauld-Community-Voting) so friends and family members can complete it? After all, the more people that vote for your favourite proposals, the better the chance they have of being funded. Remember that each individual is only allowed to complete the Survey once.