ORGANISATIONS across Solihull, Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham have been invited to apply for grants to help young people under 25.
Warwickshire and West Midlands-based Norton Foundation is on the look out for proposals up to £100,000 to fund capital projects as part of a drive to improve the personal development of young people through creating opportunities within the region.
Bids must be primarily focused on training, education, personal development or rehabilitation.
The announcement comes at a time where there is a lack of provision for young people due to cuts in services by statutory bodies and reduction in grants to voluntary organisations.
Alan Bailey, chairman of the Foundation, said: “This is the eighth such capital grant we have made in the last 25 years, and we have high hopes that the 2025-2026 grant of up to £100,000 will achieve the same high level of permanent provision for young people as the previous seven.”
In the past 30 years, the Foundation has given over £4million in grants to help the region’s youth. Previous grants have included funding a youth centre in Sydenham in Leamington as part of the SYDNI community centre.
In 2015 two grants were made – £250,000 to Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Adis to refurbish a refuge and £125,000 Leamington and District Scouts to build a lodge at the Hatton campsite.
In 2005 the grant went to a substantial residential unit at Coventry Scout Council’s Rough Close campsite and activity centre and in 2010 a grant of the maximum £100,00 was made for the purchase by the charity free@last of a building to house a youth centre in Nechell’s Birmingham.
Also in the that year the District Council for the building of the Depot youth centre at Alcester received £100,000.
Submissions, limited to one side of A4 paper, should include: an overview of the organisation, details of the proposed project and its benefits, an estimated total cost and how the name of The Norton Foundation will be recognised.
Bids must be received before February 28.
These should be emailed to [email protected] or by posted to The Correspondent, The Norton Foundation, Carleton House, 266-268 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, B90 3AD.
From these bids a short list will be selected and invited to submit detailed proposals and out of these a selection will be made of organisations to present in person to the Norton Foundation Trustees.
For more visit www.nortonfoundation.org
