Community organisations invited to apply for funding

Individuals and grass-roots organisations are being invited to apply for thousands of pounds of grant funding from the Mayflower 400 Community Sparks Fund.

The Fund gives community groups the opportunity to access funding to help them do something special for their community for 2020.

Grants are available from £1 to £3,000 and projects can be big or small, and the application process is really simple. We’re happy to talk through any ideas you might have before you start your application. The first round of funding closed in October, with £36,000 allocated to 13 projects. Examples include:

• Age UK Plymouth has linked up with Cozy Corner, a care home in Plymouth Massachusetts, to develop an exciting art project for older people called Friends Across The Sea. This transatlantic project will be run in collaboration with By Design Collective and will use written correspondence, digital platforms creative art, theatre and music as a tool to communicate
• Royal Adelaide Art & Yoga CIC are running the Mayflower Postcard Exchange and Exhibition, which will invite local people and individuals in the USA to send postcards to Plymouth for a unique cultural exhibition
• North Prospect Community Choir are producing a new celebratory choral work exploring the theme, Sounds of the Ocean City. This funding will give the choir the opportunity to work with composer Adrian Hull to produce new music for their adult choir and Mayflower Community Academy’s children’s chorus
• Plymouth Morris Men are organising an international Morris Muster, using funding to help attract dancers from across the UK, the Netherlands and the US

How to apply

The next round of funding is now open, and closes on the October 31st. To apply visit the Vital Sparks website or email fiona.evans@plymouth.gov.uk

Mayflower 400 Community Sparks is a partnership between Mayflower 400, Plymouth Culture, Plymouth City Council, The Box, Plymouth and Vital Sparks.