Eastfield community group invited to launch of Cash for Causes grants scheme

Community groups and voluntary sector organisations in Eastfield are invited to attend the launch of a new community grants scheme later this month. Picture: Richard Ponter

The Eastfield Cash for Causes scheme will invest £150,000 over three years on community projects in the Eastfield area, with decisions on which project applications will receive funding being made mostly by local people.

More than 20 local residents have come forward to be part of a panel with representatives of organisations in the Eastfield PACT regeneration partnership.

The panel will decide which projects provide the most benefits to the people of Eastfield.

Residents and community organisations interested in submitting an application to Eastfield Cash for Causes or finding out more information, are invited to attend the launch event on Tuesday July 20 starting at 1pm at Eastfield Community Centre on High Street.

The Eastfield PACT grants group team will introduce the scheme between 1pm and 2pm and will then be available until 5pm to discuss project ideas on a one to one basis with potential applicants. Light refreshments will be provided.

The new grants scheme will be open to projects that seek to improve the quality of life for Eastfield residents in one or more of five specific areas: people, place, employment, aspiration and community facilities.

Applications for different sums of money are welcomed from any community group or voluntary sector organisation that can demonstrate established links with the Eastfield community and value for money.

Cash for Causes is part of the wider Eastfield PACT regeneration programme, supported by Scarborough Borough Council and its partners.

It is financed through the sale of land to the Middle Deepdale housing development.

A ‘micro grants’ scheme of up to £500 will operate alongside the main Cash for Causes programme for informal groups of residents or individuals who have ideas for their community that they would like to try out or where a small amount of money is able to address an identified community issue.

Cllr Tony Randerson, Scarborough Borough Council ward councillor for Eastfield, said: “This is a real opportunity for Eastfield community groups and organisations who have any project ideas they would like to deliver during the next few years.

“One of our main principles, when we established the Eastfield PACT three years ago, was that local residents were key to deciding how funding is allocated.

“The fact that so many local people have volunteered to help decide how the Cash for Causes grant funding is spent means we can be confident that funds will go towards projects that are important to the local community.”

For more information about Cash for Causes or the work of the Eastfield PACT partnership, contact Billa Duggal on 01723 232445 or email [email protected]