The Courier is Comic Relief’s official local media partner, and will be helping give away £50,000 of Comic Relief grants to projects in your area.
It may be the 13th Red Nose Day that is almost upon us, but there’s nothing unlucky about it for those in Courier Country. We have teamed up with Comic Relief, and we have a total of £50,000 to give away to worthy causes in our coverage area.
So if you know a group or organisation in Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth & Kinross which could do with a boost, encourage them to apply for a portion of the Red Nose Day Community Cash Fund.
The grants of £500 up to £1000 are available to groups working in disadvantaged or deprived areas that have an annual income of less than £50,000 and which are run by local people.
They can be used for anything from parent and toddler groups to community festivals, equipment for youth groups, befriending services for the elderly and isolated, or improving services to a group that already carries out valuable work in the community.
Grants won’t be given to individuals, statutory organisations (such as schools), or to fund trips abroad, community transport schemes, or building costs.
The allocation of grants will be administered for Comic Relief by the Community Foundation for Scotland, with a senior figure from The Courier sitting on the grant allocation committee.
Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985, live on BBC One. At that time, a devastating famine was crippling Ethiopia and something had to be done. That something was Comic Relief. The idea was simple Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need.
Before too long, Red Nose Day was created and the first ever event in 1988 raised a staggering £15 million. To date, 12 Red Nose Days have raised more than £500 million. That money helps to support people and communities in dire need both in the UK and Africa.
Comic Relief’s UK grants manager, Sue Wicks, said, “We’re delighted to be making a £50,000 Red Nose Day Community Cash fund available to small organisations in Dundee and surrounding areas that are doing great work to help local people living tough lives.
“From our long experience of making grants in communities all over the UK, we know that local groups are able to make a huge impact on their communities with a small amount of money. By making the Red Nose Day Community Cash fund available we hope to encourage some of the wonderful local organisations to apply for a grant and put it to work helping people of all ages feel more included in their community. I encourage people to apply now.”
Even if you’re not applying for a grant, Red Nose Day want you to Do Something Funny for Money. From bathing in baked beans to hosting a quiz night or a sponsored bike ride in fancy dress, the only limit to the ways of raising money is your imagination. Look on www.rednoseday.com/fundraise for some suggestions.
Over the coming weeks, The Courier will be covering some of the best fundraising activities in our area, so contact us at news@thecourier.co.uk with your ideas.How to applyThere are three weeks for Courier readers to apply for a Red Nose Day Community Cash Grant. Grants of £500-£1000 are available to small organisations in Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth & Kinross that are doing good work to help local people. To apply for a grant go to www.scottishcf.org/rndcommunitycash