Spreading community cheer, the Happiness Hubs grant scheme has returned for 2023 to help communities live happier and healthier lives.
Applications are open from Tuesday 4 April to apply for a grant from a total of £236,788.61p. To be in with a chance of securing a grant, organisations, projects or groups must be delivered in County Durham or Darlington.
Kelly Spence, Mental Health Co-ordinator at the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP), said: “I am pleased to announce the return of the Happiness Hubs Fund and want to appeal to organisations that support our communities with their mental health and wellbeing.
“If you have a group or project that offers a safe space or activity for local people to take part in and feel supported through making connections, advice or confidence building, we want to hear from you.”
Grants between £500 and £7,500 are available, with previous rounds of funding supporting veterans, new mothers, men and women, elderly people, young adults and people with learning disabilities.
Projects or groups must last between a minimum of 12 to 18 months to qualify for a grant.
Receiving a Happiness Hub grant in 2022, Claire Ritson, Project Lead at Sunniside Community Association, said: “I can’t tell you how much this project has changed what we do and the amount of people we reach across our local communities.
“We have never made so much impact to so many people, and we continue to develop what we are doing. We are so grateful for the café and wellbeing kick-start, which really did springboard us to doing more. It’s very exciting for us at Sunniside.”
Over £250,000 has been donated so far, making this round of support available its biggest to date!
The Happiness Hubs is brought to you by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and North East charity, PCP.
Return completed application forms to Happiness Hub Development Officer, Jane Cunningham on happiness.hubs@pcp.uk.net
For any enquiries, contact via email above or call or text 07715 204462.
Applications close on Monday 1 May at 5pm.