Gloucestershire County Council is offering £200,000 to support digital community projects across the county.
Through its Digital Innovation Fund the council has £200,000 worth of grants available to community or voluntary groups and charity organisations to fund digital and technology-led initiatives.
This is the second year of the fund and applications of up to £20,000 per project will be accepted from Monday 12 July. Collaborative partnership bids will be considered for combined funding but would need to clearly demonstrate the added benefit of the collaboration.
The funding panel is particularly keen to hear about projects that could continue this support, address digital exclusion and help people remain independent.
Successful applications would be likely to demonstrate how their use of technology or digital methods will support adults in Gloucestershire by:
- Improving literacy, including digital literacy
- Preventing a decline in independence, health or wellbeing
- Encouraging digital access opportunities amongst BAME communities
- Providing equipment and support to those with disabilities and sensory impairments
In 2020, funding was used for projects that enriched people’s lives by tackling social isolation, helping to maintain independence and improve personal wellbeing.
Last year’s grant was oversubscribed, with 38 applications received and 21 projects funded. Some of the projects funded supported teaching residents digital skills to help them use video platforms to keep in touch with family during the pandemic. Others used the funding to purchase health and exercise monitoring devices to support virtual fitness and wellbeing classes.
Successfully funded projects will work together to bring their ideas to life within a Digital Innovation Forum group, in which all the other funded projects can support each other.
Members of the council’s Adult Transformation Team will be attending Know Your Patch meetings and sharing information about the funding through this network. The Know Your Patch network is a multi-sector network bringing together the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and public body organisations for effective partnership working across each district of Gloucestershire.
Further information on this grant, including access to application forms, can be found at https://www.yourcircle.org.uk/Information/DigitalInnovationFund.
The closing date for applications will be on Friday 6 August, with successful applicants receiving grant funding in September.
For more information, please email asp@gloucestershire.gov.uk.