Compass Recovery College is pleased to announce small grants for voluntary groups in Reading, who are embedded in and providing grass roots support to their communities. They are offering 3 grants of £1000 each. The aim of this funding is to support mental health and wellbeing in vulnerable groups in Reading, by enabling local voluntary and community groups to create bespoke wellbeing workshops with Compass, in a way that reflects the individual experiences and needs of their communities.
Funding priorities
- Applicants need to have reach to isolated and vulnerable communities. For example, those who are shielding, or groups have been disproportionately have been affected by the pandemic. (e.g. ethnic minorities or areas of high deprivation).
- This funding is for groups who want to add a mental health element to what they’re already offering to their community.
- Applicants must be open to developing bespoke workshops together with Compass facilitators, based on what their participants want. Compass want to create these with you, based on the interests of your communities and the approach that best works for them.
- Applicants need to already have access to participants.
- Applicant staff/volunteers will be trained so they can continue to deliver the workshops to their groups after this project.
- Applicants will lead on outreach to get participants from their communities involved and support the participants.
- Someone from your group will need to be available approximately 10 hours a month to support the project for 5 months. (See guidance linked below for details).
What can you use the funding for?
How you choose to use this funding is within the parameters and context of your particular group. It can, for example, cover contribution to core costs that will enable you to continue running usual activities, whilst making space for mental health workshops.
How to apply
The fund is now open for applications and will close at 5pm on 3 January 2022.
You can find the guidance notes and application form on our website www.compassrecoverycollege.uk/2021/11/03/compass-small-mental-health-grants/.
Once completed please email your application form to the Compass Recovery Worker Ashley Hitchman at ashley.hitchman@reading.gov.uk.
Support for your group from RVA
If you would like support with understanding how to complete an application for funding, what to include in your budget, or assistance with any of your governance, policies and procedures that are needed to support your application, please get in touch with Herjeet Randhawa, RVA Advice Service Manager at herjeet.randhawa@rva.org.uk or telephone 0118 937 2273 for free and independent support and advice.