York-based charities, social enterprises, voluntary and community groups are being urged to apply for the 2022 Cultural Wellbeing Grants, with an overall fund of £30,000 available. In a collaboration between Make It York and City of York Council, with funding made available via the Better Care Fund, organisations are being invited to apply to grants up to £5,000 to aid initiatives throughout the city which will reduce loneliness and isolation and combat mental ill-health.
With applications open until Friday 20th May 2022, organisations can apply for funding to help engage isolated people in their communities through cultural engagement to combat mental ill-health, improve physical health, or access employment and learning opportunities. Funding can be used for a wide range of project costs – including everything from materials and venue hire to set up costs, marketing, transport and administration time.
Last year, nineteen different charities, social enterprises and community groups benefitted from the cultural and social prescribing grants funding from Make It York, City of York Council and York CVS. Spanning a diverse range of creative art forms and social activities, the grants supported everything from fairy trails and community coffee mornings to excavation projects, craft workshops and creative cafes in the city.
Helen Apsey, Head of Culture and Wellbeing at Make It York said: “The Cultural Wellbeing Grants are a really important scheme, which support local organisations, groups and people, through funding for creative and cultural initiatives to support residents’ health and wellbeing. This focus on wellbeing is at the heart of York’s Culture Strategy, so we’re really grateful to be able to run the programme again this year, with funding from the Better Care Fund, alongside City of York Council.
“Last year saw us supporting a wide range of projects, from theatre workshops for people affected by isolation, weekly music, movement and social sessions for adults with complex needs, through to coordinating green organisations to increase the number of people engaging with creative nature opportunities – and we’re looking forward to continuing to support many more projects through this year’s grants scheme.”
Cllr Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities at City of York Council said: “The Cultural Wellbeing Grants programme will build on the city’s fantastic work in tackling isolation and supporting mental health across our city. These grants will be supporting York’s voluntary sector as our communities continue to recover from the pandemic. We look forward to a variety of different applications this year, with the wellbeing being at their core.”
END
For more information:
Brittany Guymer, Communications Executive at Make It York
Comms@makeityork.com
Notes to Editors:
Further information and the application form for the Cultural Wellbeing grants can be found here – https://www.makeityork.com/culture/cultural-wellbeing-grants
Application forms must be completed and submitted by 9am on Friday 20th May 2022 to be considered. These will be assessed and shortlisted applications will be contacted by Friday 27th May 2022.
If you have any queries or need support to apply, please email: Carl.wain@york.gov.uk
About Make It York
Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.
These are:
- City positioning and profile-raising
- Ensuring an exciting city centre
- Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Culture Strategy
