Following the recent announcement of eleven local good causes to receive a share of more than £85,000, the Isle of Wight Foundation is now inviting groups to apply for funding for projects taking place in 2023.
Grants of between £3,000 and £16,000 are available for eligible projects, from a total funding pot of around £80,000.
To date, grants from the Isle of Wight Foundation – which is funded by the organisations behind Island Roads – have been used on a wide variety of projects which have a focus on connecting communities, reducing social isolation and supporting people to access employment and housing.
Almost £600,000 has been given to groups since the foundation was established, funding important projects including new minibuses, computers and tablets, community gardens, sports equipment, refurbishing buildings and providing training opportunities.
Rob Gillespie, chairman of the Isle of Wight Foundation, said: “We are very proud to have supported so many Island groups since the foundation’s launch and look forward to helping even more as we invite groups to apply for funding for projects taking place in 2023 which help to tackle social exclusion.”
A local group to benefit from the foundation’s support is lowland search and rescue organisation WightSAR, who were recently awarded £16,000 for a new command vehicle.
Dean Terrett, founder and chairman of the charity said: “We are very grateful to the Isle of Wight Foundation for their support which has allowed us to update vehicles and purchase vital equipment to assist us in our search and rescue work. Applying for the grant was a straightforward process and any questions we had were quickly answered by the foundation. We would encourage others to apply for these generous grants which are making a really positive difference to Island life.”
As well as grant funding, eligible projects are supported by Island Roads employees who are given the opportunity to be project sponsors and give their time to share their specialist skills with grant recipients to help them deliver their projects.
Funding applications can be made from Monday 7 February until midday on Monday 2 May 2022.
Full eligibility criteria and details of the application process can be found in the Isle of Wight Foundation section of the Island Roads website www.islandroads.com.