An advice surgery for anyone interesting in applying for a Community First grant through the participatory budgeting project this Tuesday, 22nd October from 5.30pm – 6.45pm at Brierley Hill library.  Feel free to come along and find out more.

Community First is a government sponsored scheme which aims to support voluntary and non-profit groups in disadvantaged areas by offering matched grants.

Brierley Hill ward is one of those areas and eight local residents sit on its panel. The panel’s job is to recommend groups for funding under the scheme. Thirty two projects have received a total of £37,109.50 funding to date – you can read about them by clicking here.

Participatory budgeting

In an experiment to try and involve more people in its decision making and to encourage and support more volunteering in Brierley Hill the panel is running a partipatory budgeting process. We are calling this ‘The Big Brierley Hill Give Away’.

£4,000 has been earmarked for the scheme and groups are invited to bid for grants of between £750 and £1000 for projects focused on improving lives of people who live in Brierley Hill ward and which meets one or more of the priorities set by the panel. You can view these here.

Eligible applicants will be invited to attend a community meeting starting at 7pm on Tuesday 19th November at St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill and to say a few words in support of their application. Who gets the money will be decided by a public vote at the meeting.
Who can apply?

Applications are encouraged for any not for profit or voluntary activities. If you have an idea for a project and do not belong to a group you can still apply – one of the aims of Community First is to get more people involved in volunteering – it may be we can help by supporting you to set up a new group, or by pointing you in the direction of another group who can help. If in doubt ask.
How to apply?
Follow four steps:

1. Check you are eligible for a grant
2. Work out how much to apply for
3. Work out how you will match the grant you are applying for (remember volunteering hours count!)
4. Apply for the grant

Click here for the step by step guide and download your application form.
How to get help?

• Visit our website www.communityfirst.brierleyhill.org and/or…
• Drop into our advice surgery on Tuesday 22nd October, 5.30-6.45 pm at Brierley Hill library and/or…
• Email community.first@brierleyhill.org and/or…
• Call our helpline on 0771 85 85 421

Timescales

We’re asking for applications to be submitted by 5th November 2013 so we can prepare for the participatory meeting on 19th November 2013.
Please can you help us!

• We are asking for your help in four ways:
• Consider submitting an application yourself
• Tell people you know who might be interested
• Turn up to support local groups and vote on which applications to support on November 19th 2013, at 7pm, at St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill

Act now – deadline November 5th – D-Day 19th November

£4,000 of this year’s funding has been made available for a ‘participatory budgeting’ process for grants of between £750 and £1000.

Residents, voluntary, community groups and social enterprises are being asked to submit applications for these small grants.  They will then get an opportunity to turn up and put their case to a public meeting where everyone will have a vote on which schemes to support.

We want you to get involved by submitting an application and/or turning up to the public meeting to decide who gets the money on 19th November at 7pm at St Michael’s Church.

You are cordially invited to the next meeting of the Community First Brierley Hill panel which will commence at 7pm on Tuesday 24^th September 2013 at St Michael’s Church, Brierley Hill.

The panel aims to encourage participation from members of our community and all are welcome to attend its meetings.

The agenda will be:

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of previous meeting
3. Matters Arising
   1. St Paul’s: following the meeting a circular email was issued and a majority of the panel agreed the grant should be made.
   2. Brierley Hill Community Radio – an email explaining the panel’s questions has been sent to BHCR and a reply received from Andy Rigby who will be attending the meeting to answer panel questions.
   3. Grants report
   4. Grant applications
      1. Brierley Hill Community Radio – including response to panel questions from last meeting
      2. Storehouse
      3. Tiny Tots
      4. Participatory Budgeting – action planning
      5. Any Other Urgent Business
      6. Dates of future meetings
         1. October – to be arranged
         2. Tuesday 19^th November
         3. Wednesday 15^th January
         4. Tuesday 18^th March

Access to the agenda papers can be achieved by clicking on the links above.

Alternatively a combined set of papers can be downloaded by clicking here.

You are cordially invited to the next meeting of the Community First Brierley Hill panel.  This will take place on Tuesday 23^rd July 2013 at St Michael¹s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill commencing at 7pm.

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting ­ for agreement
3. Matters Arising
4. Grant status as of 1^st July 2013 ­ for noting
5. Grant applications ­ for recommending
   1. St Paul¹s (because of declarations of interest this could not be agreed at the last meeting)
   2. Steppup (resubmission following panel comments at last meeting)
6. Participatory budgeting ­ action planning
7. To note the dates of future meetings
   1. Tuesday 24^th September 2013
   2. Tuesday 19^th November 2013
   3. Wednesday 15 January 2014
   4. Tuesday 18^th March 1014
8. Any other business

http://storify.com/Brierley_Hill/community-first-brierley-hill-bids-june-2013

The next meeting of Brierley Hill Community First will take place on Thursday 20th June 2013 at St Michael’s Church, Bell Street South, Brierley Hill.  It will start at 7.30pm.  All are welcome to attend.

The agenda for the meeting is:

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the previous meeting (Attached)
3. Matters Arising
4. Membership of the panel – some difficulties are being experienced in getting a quorum for panel meetings.  It is suggested that we appoint additional members.
5. Grants awarded to date
6. Grant applications
   1. Amblecote Christian Centre
   2. Beanstalk
   3. Nine Locks
   4. Scouts
   5. St Paul’s
   6. Steppup Puppets
7. Community First Plan Brierley Hill
8. New application forms
9. Evaluation

10. Dates of future meetings

11. Any Other Business

Continue reading Next Community First meeting 7pm, June 20, St Michaels – all welcome #CommFirst