Half a dozen Lincolnshire projects are amongst 18 to benefit from the latest round of grants from Ørsted’s East Coast Community Fund. The awards take the total number of projects supported to 245.
They are:
- West Marsh Development Trust Ltd, Household Support for Ukrainian Refugees, £4,336
- Age UK Lindsey, The East Coast ‘Reaching Out’ Project – Reducing Social Isolation, £27,422
- Keelby Sports Association, Keelby Sports Association Solar Panels and Battery Storage, £12,408
- East Lindsey District Council, Sutton on Sea – Educational Bin Installation, £21,493
- Your Community Hub CIC, Improvement of Cleethorpes Sandpit, £14,720
- Blackfriars Arts Centre Limited, Boston, New Heating and Hot Water Boiler, £22,800
Earlier this year, Ørsted announced that they were keen that organisations applying to the Fund are reflecting on their environmental impact, taking positive steps to minimise the carbon footprint of their project, and seeking opportunities to become more environmentally sustainable.
Through the grant application process, groups are now asked if they are taking steps to minimise the carbon footprint of the project, they are seeking funding support for, and whether the project will make a positive impact on the environment – in other words, is the project ‘Inspired by Green’? New judging criteria for the Fund is giving greater weighting to the answers to these questions.
The East Coast Community Fund is part of the community engagement programme for Ørsted’s Hornsea and Race Bank offshore wind farms. Each year, until 2037, about £390,000 will be available from the main fund to support a wide range of community and environmental projects.
An additional £75,000 per year is ring-fenced for a skills fund, designed to support a range of STEM educational and training initiatives.
Imran Nawaz, Senior Advisor & Community Benefit Fund Manager for Ørsted, said: “It is great to see the successful awards for this round. Community is so important to Ørsted, and being able to give back to our local area is a high priority for us. A huge thanks to all the organisations for all your incredible work in helping us all love our home. ”
The Fund is being administered by national charity GrantScape. There are two application rounds each year for groups to apply to, and the next closing date is 31 January 2024. For further details of how you can apply to the next round, please visit GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk or call 01908 247630.
