Community organisations in Devon can apply for grants of up £10,000 for projects that trial innovative transport solutions to loneliness.
Devon County Council made a successful bid to the Department of Transport’s Tackling Loneliness with Transport fund, and secured just under £494,000 to deliver an innovative transport pilot along with our delivery partners: Devon Communities Together, Westbank Community Health & Care, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and One Northern Devon.
Included within our bid was the proposal to run a Community Grants Fund which allows us to help other local Devon organisations to trial their own innovative transport solutions to loneliness. There is a total budget of £170,000 for the Community Grants Fund.
All projects must take place within Devon and be for the benefit of Devon residents who are within our defined beneficiary groups:
- Older People aged 55+
- Young People aged 16 – 24
Geographical “Cold Spot” bids will be prioritised. These are projects where remoteness and rural sparsity make conventional transport services a particular challenge to deliver. We have designated the following areas as travel Cold Spots:
- Chulmleigh – South Molton area
- Kingsbridge area
- The North Devon coast incorporating Ilfracombe and Lynton & Lynmouth.
Grants of between £1,000 up to £10,000 will be considered. Grants are for revenue expenditure only.
We are inviting applications from community organisations that are incorporated and subject to the rules of a regulatory body i.e., the Charity Commission or Companies House. Organisations should have been established for at least two years.
Focus of fund/fund aims:
Community organisations in Devon can apply for grants up to £10,000 for innovative projects that tackle loneliness through transport.
Application deadline:
31 January 2023. The fund may close sooner if all funds are allocated before this date.