More than £30,000 of small grant funding has been approved by Lichfield City Council.
The authority received applications from 29 local groups and will hand out more money than in any of the last ten years.
Cllr Colin Ball, chair of the grants advisory committee, said the council had been keen to support as many organisations as possible.
“This was a really challenging year for us, with so many groups looking to support our community in so many ways.
“Some very difficult decisions had to be made so that we could ensure that as many groups as possible could benefit from funding, but I am so pleased that we’ve been able to support so many good causes.”
Cllr Colin Ball
The council also agreed to set aside £5,000 of its grant aid reserve for summer activities for young people, as well as just under £4,500 for any grant applications in the rest of this financial year.
Cllr Ball added:
“In previous years, under the Conservatives, the council was unable to award its entire budget to small grants and since 2020 the unspent funds have been kept in a separate reserve.
“I’m really pleased that council agreed with our recommendations about how this reserve can be used.
“I would urge all local groups with ideas on summer activities for children and young people to get in touch by either phoning 01543 250011 or emailing enquiries@lichfield.gov.uk.”
Cllr Colin Ball
Cllr Dave Robertson, leader of the city council, said he was committed to seeking to increase the level of funding for the small grants scheme in future.
“It’s been great to see a record-breaking year for our small grant funding in Lichfield and to see the full allocation being used for the first time in a very long time.
“I agree with Cllr Ball that this is a great service which the city council offers and I’ll be working very hard with officers to see if we can increase the funding available for next year.”
Cllr Dave Robertson
