KCOM relaunches £1,000 community grants for worthy local causes
The broadband provider has announced nominations are now open for the next round of grants that will see three local good causes win up to £1,000 each.
Dale Raneberg, KCOM chief executive officer, said: “I’m delighted to announce that our quarterly community grants scheme is open again for groups across Hull and East Yorkshire and for the first time those in parts of North Lincolnshire where we are building our full fibre network.
“Earlier this year we temporarily suspended our normal community grant process and put extra effort and resources to where they were needed most by local groups to help them in their fight against coronavirus.
“We also doubled our usual grant donations to £6,000 which enabled charities such as the Smile Foundation and North Bank Forum to provide vital food and medical supplies to vulnerable people across the region.”
Speaking at the time, Jason Stamp, chief officer of North Bank Forum, said the donation was a much needed boost as Covid-19 restrictions bit and demand for food bank services surged across Hull.
He said: “A huge thank you for this generous donation which we will look to use to provide additional resource into the three emergency food banks we have established across the city.
“In the first week of operation 50 per cent of the calls received by the call centre and community hubs were food related and we are very pleased that we have been able to provide a coordinated response in this area.”
Mr Raneberg added repurposing the community grant funding was just one of a number of initiatives KCOM has undertaken to support the region throughout the pandemic so far.
He said: “As a company at the heart of the East Yorkshire community we’re very proud of the way our colleagues have responded during these challenging times. As well as making members of staff available to deliver hundreds of food parcels to people who were unable to leave their homes during lockdown, we were pleased to be able to donate 26 Microsoft Surface tablets to local hospitals to help keep patients connected to their families and friends.
“But we now feel that the time is right to return to our normal community grant scheme as we know there are many more deserving causes out there who also need our support.
“I’d urge as many group to get involved as possible and you never know – you could be the recipient of a very handy £1,000 to carry on your good work.”
The ‘business as usual’ grant relaunch means that nominations are now open for community groups who feel they could benefit from a £1,000 windfall.
The scheme is open to any group, charity or good cause which works to make life better for people in Hull and the areas of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire where KCOM provides full fibre broadband.
The three winning groups are chosen from a shortlist of six entries which are then open to a public vote. Whichever three groups receive the most support are awarded the money – meaning those shortlisted can rally their armies of supporters to vote them to victory.
Previous grant winners have included Hull Visual Choir, The Special Stars Foundation for youngsters with additional needs, Friends of Westcott School, baby charity Bundles Of Joy and the Hull branch of the RSPCA.
Croxby Primary School was one of the three latest winners picked by the public earlier this year and is using its grant to plant 60 trees behind the school field in memory of a pupil who died last year.
Applications for the next round of community grant nomination are open now and close on 16 November, so any groups hoping to be considered are advised to act quickly. Voting will run from 26 November to 10 December with the winners announced before Christmas.
For more information or to nominate your group to win a grant of £1,000 click here.