Bernicia Foundation offers even more help

The Bernicia Foundation is creating even more opportunities to support economic prosperity in the North East by making it even easier to apply for funding.

The latest round of funding goes live next week and will see the foundation’s reach widened to include all areas of the North East as high priorities for support – and allow previous beneficiaries to apply more quickly for further help.

Since it was created by housing association Bernicia five years ago to promote economic and social inclusion, the foundation has awarded a total of more than £1.3m in grant support to 238 organisations and young people.

Foundation trustees and Bernicia recognise the economic pressures being absorbed by charities and community groups, placing more demands on finance than ever before.

To ease the burden, the next funding round which opens on Monday November 17, will see the following changes to reach even more communities with support:

• All areas of the North East – Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside, County Durham and Teesside – will be classed as high priority applicant areas for financial support from the foundation’s Inclusion Grant
• Previously, funding was targeted at the communities where most of Bernicia’s tenants lived, which is in Northumberland and County Durham
• Any organisation which received a grant within the past three years, can now apply for more grant funding
• Previously, no organisation receiving a foundation grant could apply for another one within three years

Jenny Allinson, The Bernicia Foundation Director, said: “We understand the daily and growing financial pressures many organisations and families are working under.

“The foundation was created to deliver real and lasting community benefit.

“By prioritising applications from a wider area, we can deliver even more support to charities and groups helping people find work, tackle child poverty and allow more people to access opportunities to improve their lives and the communities where they live.

“Allowing recipients to reapply who have had grant support within the past three years means organisations with a proven track record of helping communities could receive even more support from us at a time of great need.”

The Inclusion Grant supports initiatives that encourage economic and social inclusion with funding of between £5,000 and £10,000.

The next round of The Bernicia Foundation opens on Monday November 17 until midnight on Wednesday December 31.

For more information and to apply, please go to www.berniciafoundation.com