Evan Cornish Grassroots Fund

The Evan Cornish Grassroots Fund aims to improve the wellbeing of people living in Greater Lincolnshire and to make life more comfortable, ease distress and isolation for those most in need. The fund distributes around £50,000 per annum to locally run and managed voluntary or community organisations, with priority given to smaller volunteer-led community groups. The fund supports projects across five key themes: Social cohesion (community activities, access to essential services, support for people leaving prison and their families, women's groups); Advice and Support (debt counselling, Citizens Advice Bureau, welfare advice services, nutrition and diet); Older People (care at home, integration projects, tackling isolation, loneliness and dementia, volunteer costs); Homelessness (interventions and support to assist vulnerable homeless people including accommodation, advice, food and clothing); and Food Security (seed swaps, community growing schemes, advice about food sovereignty and sustainability). Grants can fund local projects that encourage and assist the target groups, including equipment, travel, venue hire, telephone, stationery, refreshments, volunteer training and activities that meet an identified need. All funded activities must benefit the local community. Grants are for a maximum of £6,000 per year, with payments normally made in advance, and all funds must be spent within a year of receipt. The fund explicitly does not support political or predominantly religious activities, individuals, statutory agencies, animal welfare, general contributions to large appeals, building work or vehicle purchases, grant-making bodies redistributing funds, or retrospective projects.