Partner Article

North East organisations in running for £1.25m fund

Two North East organisations are in the running for a share of a £1.25m fund set up by NatWest.

Over 800 not-for-profit organisations across the UK and Ireland have applied for the latest round of NatWest’s Skills & Opportunities funding.

Decision making lies in the public’s hands, who will help to decide which ones should go on to receive grants of up to £35,000 this December.

A total of 96 organisations across the UK and Ireland are in the running for the public vote. North East Business & Innovation Centre, Sunderland, and Community Ventures (Middlesbrough) Ltd will now battle it out with fifteen other shortlisted organisations across NatWest’s North region.

The North East Business & Innovation Centre’s Start! aims to improve the prospects of residents from deprived Sunderland wards who are disadvantaged due to their inability to access funds to start up new, viable businesses.

The key process is to explore ideas, developing business plans to assist those with high self employment potential and low essential start up costs.

Community Ventures (Middlesbrough) Ltd’s SEA Stars Middlesbrough is a programme for people with a passion for social change who want to develop ideas for improving their community through social enterprise, or want to gain skills and experience of working in a supportive social enterprise environment.

Richard Topliss, Chairman of NatWest’s North Regional Board, which is judging the entries for the area, said: “We received an excellent response from organisations across the North which have created programmes to enhance financial education and enterprise in their communities.

“Once again we’ve been impressed with the standard of the entries we’ve received and we look forward to being able to help even more worthy causes achieve their aims.

“It’s going to be a very difficult decision now to choose the ultimate winners of this round – and that’s where the public vote comes in.

“We want to know which organisations our communities feel could make a real difference with this funding. If it matters to the community then it matters to us.”

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