Bristol City Council has announced a one-off fund of £4 million for organisations working with people in Bristol who belong to communities experiencing the greatest inequality. The council recognises that our diverse communities are underpinned by a network of dedicated VCSE organisations that work tirelessly to improve the lives and opportunities of others. 

However, with the escalating cost of living, resources are being stretched like never before. Not only are these vital groups having to work harder to stretch budgets, they are often seeing increased demand from those who need support. 

This is why the Community Resilience Fund is important, as it will see a one-off capital funded £4m pot shared with groups based in and working with the most deprived areas of our city, and in city-wide groups supporting certain groups for example Disabled people, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and LGBTQ+ communities. 

The Fund will support community and voluntary organisations to increase their resilience and sustainability and enable them to continue the vital work they do. Capital funding will be invested in community organisations and groups based in and working with the top 30 per cent most deprived areas of Bristol and in city-wide self-organised equality groups. 

Over the summer, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations in all the eligible areas of the city, and across different equalities communities, will lead conversations with community organisations to identify potential projects. 

Voscur is supporting the first stage of this decision-making process by leading community conversations in: 

·         Hillfields, Eastville and Frome Vale;  

·         Hengrove, Whitchurch Park and Stockwood;  

·         LGBTQ+ equalities community.  

Please email Clare Daley if you are interested in developing a project proposal in any of these three areas.

When all potential projects have been gathered, a group of VCSE organisations, councillors and residents in each community will be recruited to review them and make a decision about what to invest in. 

Grants for community-based organisations will be a minimum of £50,000 with some smaller grants of a minimum of £10,000 available for equalities community groups and must be used to pay for something physical, rather than a service or activity. 

All guidance and eligibility criteria are available publicly on the Bristol City Council website: Community Resilience Fund - bristol.gov.uk. This page also includes a map outlining eligible areas of the city and how to submit a proposal: Community Resilience Fund .