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Surrey Global Grants

Supporting local community groups
Developing the skills of local people

About Us
Global Grants is part of the European Social Fund programme to build stronger local communities - Surrey Global Grants has distributed over £500,000 in grants during 2004-2006.

The Global Grants scheme is closed until further notice. No applications are being accepted. Please go to our Funding Advice Section on our web page for information about alternative funding. http://www.surreyca.org.uk/grants_funding_advice.htm

• The European Social Fund
• Surrey County Council
• Surrey Borough and District Councils
• Surrey Learning and Skills Council

Surrey Global Grants supports local community and voluntary groups who provide opportunities for people who are not in paid work and live in targeted areas of Surrey to develop the skills and self-confidence they need to progress towards paid work, voluntary work or training.

• We are particularly looking to target grassroots community and voluntary groups.
• We have lots of experience in helping small groups apply for funding - some of the groups we fund have never had a grant before
• We will offer you as much support as you need with the application form, planning your project and managing your grant
• We do not expect that everybody your project helps will start work or training straightaway, we are looking to fund projects that will help people develop skills they need to progress towards being able to start paid work, voluntary work or training.

Who can apply?
Local community and voluntary groups e.g. local charities, volunteer organisations, not-for-profit organisations or social enterprise groups may be able apply.

The following organisations cannot be awarded a Surrey Global Grant:

• National organisations and local branches of National organisations
• Groups that have had any form of ESF funding in the past (other than from Global Grants 2001-2003)

Community groups who meet the above criteria and received funding from Global Grants under the 2001-2003 programme may also apply. However, your new project will need to show added value compared to your previous project.

Helping people living in the Global Grants eligible areas of Surrey
Projects must benefit people who are not in paid work and live in one or more of the following areas. These areas have higher levels of unemployment than other areas of Surrey.

Assisting groups who are not in paid work
We are looking to fund projects that target people not in paid work, our target groups include people:

• who have been out of work for a long time
• with physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health issues
• aged over 50 years who are looking to return to paid work
• with caring responsibilities
• who are either young parents or lone parents
• who have difficulties with reading, writing or maths
• with English as their second language
• aged 14-16 years and either excluded from school or at risk of exclusion from school
• who are either homeless or rough sleepers
• who have completed or are coming to the end of a custodial sentence

For example, projects might:

• Provide work experience placements
• Encourage people to become volunteers and to develop their skills through volunteering
• Help people learn essential skills for work such as IT, maths, reading or writing - either directly through courses or indirectly through community projects that encourage skill development, such as producing a community newsletter or writing and performing a community play.
• Increase the self-confidence, motivation and self-esteem of unemployed people with complex needs e.g. through self-help groups or through sports, music or art projects.
• Improve interpersonal skills
• Train people in vocational skills such as horticulture or carpentry

Please click here for a list of the projects supported under the current Global Grants 2004-2006 programme.

Please click here for a list of the projects supported under the previous Global Grants 2001-2003 programme.

Examples of what we can fund:

• Staff costs
• Venue hire
• Transport costs - including volunteer travel expenses
• Care costs e.g. funding for childcare - groups will need a child protection policy and CRB (criminal record bureau) checks for those involved
• Items of equipment costing up to £1,000 - projects that only apply for equipment or have high equipment costs may be ineligible.

Examples of what we can't fund:

• Building or structural work
• Projects focusing on children (however, we can support extracurricular projects for students aged 14-16 years excluded from school or at risk of exclusion from school)
• Projects that would normally be the responsibility of the Government or other public service provider / agency
• Projects with groups that have had ESF funding (other than from the Global Grants 2001-2003 programme) at anytime in the past.

Further Information

If you would like further advice please contact:

Our office is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm and you can leave a telephone or Email message at any time.

Alternatively, please click here to download the application form.