Worthy causes in line for £2m council grants

Some 49 charities and not-for-profit groups are in line for cash from Sheffield Council’s voluntary sector grants fund.

A new £50,000 small grants fund is also to be created to help causes not currently eligible for other funding streams.

From the voluntary sector grants fund, £1,113,100 has been earmarked for groups that build social inclusion and cohesion.

A further £702,700 has been allocated to organisations tackling poverty, social injustice and financial exclusion, and £20,500 has been set aside for those supporting the local voluntary sector.

The city’s Citizens’ Advice Bureaus are set for some of the biggest windfalls, with £200,000 earmarked for Sheaf; £122,000 for Pitsmoor; and £86,850 for South East Sheffield.

Sheffield Citizens’ Advice Bureau’s Debt Support Centre is set to receive £73,000 and Sheffield Mental Health Citizens’ Advice Bureau is in line for £41,400.

The second-biggest grant after that awarded to Sheaf Citizens’ Advice Bureau is the £127,000 set to be given to the Sheffield Domestic Abuse Outreach Service.

Manager Sarah Cox said she was very pleased with the result of the funding bid.

“It will enable us to carry on the service we have offered over the years,” she said.

Also among the beneficiaries is Heeley City Farm, which is set to be awarded £27,500 to help it maintain volunteering opportunities for vulnerable people.

Other causes in line for grants include charities and support services for disabled people; the elderly; the homeless; drug and alcohol users; refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities; and victims of crime.

The funding proposals are expected to be agreed by Sheffield Council’s Cabinet at its meeting tomorrow.