Up to £10,000 grants available for rural community projects from The Prince’s Countryside Fund

Projects from across the UK which are working to create resilient rural communities are invited to apply for grant funding of up to £10,000 from The Prince’s Countryside Fund.

Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery locally-focussed, legally-constituted not-for-profit organisations can apply for one year of grant funding from the Fund. Projects must be completed by 31^st March 2022.

Projects from all across the UK are invited to apply for this funding. Applications can be made by taking a short eligibility quiz and completing an application form at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director at The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “Rural Community Resilience means different things to different communities, but the projects we are looking to support will allow the community to survive and thrive, especially when facing a situation which affects everyday rural life. Thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their continuing support of The Prince’s Countryside Fund.”

Established in 2010 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the PCF aims to support thriving rural communities with farming at their heart. To date, the Fund has awarded over £10 million to more than 350 projects

During the Covid-19 pandemic the PCF awarded over £120,000 of grants to 62 rural communities who were working to tackle the impact of the pandemic in their local community. This grants round is aimed at projects who are looking to build on this amazing work. To view previously funded projects, visit www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/yourstories

The Seckford Foundation in Suffolk provides support to disadvantaged young people in rural areas. Jenny Stockman, the Rural Apprenticeships and Mentoring manager said "This has been such an exciting journey to be a part of. To see the difference we can make not only to the young people we work with, but also to their families and even the wider community, has been such an emotional rollercoaster and so rewarding. Having nearly three years to build solid foundations has been an essential part of making this a sustainable resource for years to come and I am as personally grateful to The Princes Countryside Fund, as Seckford Foundation as a whole is, for the funding that helped us do this".

Gerald Knox, from the Courthouse Kesh in Kesh, Northern Ireland said: “The grant from The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s was hugely appreciated to us as a small community, we really were so delighted. The funding was to be split between paying for the kitchen and for two part-time members of staff. The kitchen is working extremely well and everybody who comes in for food is amazed, and the coffee is fantastic too. We could not have done any of this without The Prince’s Countryside Fund."

Mary, a resident who regularly uses Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop in Devon which received a grant from the Fund said: “During lockdown, the community shop organized free deliveries for those who were self-isolating. Despite the pressures they must have been under, the person who phoned for payment would often make time for a chat and to ask how we were. The shop serves its customers with friendliness and kindness.”

Applications close on November 3^rd 2020 at midday, but if a large number of eligible applications are received the Fund reserves the right to close the round earlier. Projects are advised to apply early.

Find out more at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants