Who we are funded by
The ESF Community Grants programme is commissioned through the Education Skills Fund Agency (ESFA) and is a key investment that supports the delivery of the ESIF strategy.
Community Grants is co-financed by the European Social Fund.
Programme duration
Our 5th Community Grants programme, also referred to as ‘Community Grants 5’ or ‘CG5’, commenced on 1st April 2019 and will finish July 2021.
What is Community Grants?
The aim of the fund is to help unemployed people progress towards employment through access to learning and training opportunities.
CG5 distributes small grants in the Humber, East Riding, York and North Yorkshire region between £5,000 and up to £20,000.
The 1st application round has just finished. Check out our What’s Happening page for future rounds, or sign up to our mailing list.
The York and North Yorkshire programmes are sub-contracted to Knaresborough based Your Consortium.
Who is Community Grants for?
Funded activities must be aimed at unemployed individuals aged 18 years and over from the hardest to reach communities in Humber, East Riding, York and North Yorkshire.
The identified priority groups for our region are as follows;
- Disadvantaged communities
- People with disabilities and health conditions
- Lone parents
- People aged 50 and over
- People from ethnic minorities
- Females
However, applications will be considered from any community that can evidence deprivation, for example homeless people and ex-offenders.
Learner and organisation feedback
Delivery partners
HLC have successfully managed the delivery of Community Grants since 2007 across Yorkshire and the Humber. The small grants scheme is aimed at small to medium VCO’s who work with some of the most disadvantaged communities and are the furthest away from the labour market. These projects work with organisations locally and the project aims are:
- To help the most disadvantaged
- To tackle social exclusions
- To be focused on the capabilities of each individual
- To lead to better coordinated services
- To create new opportunities for work
Past success
Our Community Grants 4 project completed in April 2019, these statistics show just how successful it was.
Statistics taken from the SAR 2017/18 report.
More than 3000 people benefited from Community Grants funding
Over 98% of Community Grants 4 learners achieved between August 2016 and July 2018
Grants have been awarded to more than 130 training organisations
ESF Community Grants 5 – Round 2
We are now accepting grant applications for round 2, for more details or top book a place on a workshop please visit the What’s happening page.
Deadline for applications is Friday 25th October, 2pm.
Contract manager
Jacquie Newman
Telephone: 01482 327438, option 3
For funding enquiries please visit the What’s happening page.
