ESF Community Grants scheme – latest news

New eligibility restrictions and next deadline 24 August

There have now been two rounds of the ESF Community Grants 2011-13 programme, with a little over £160,000 having been allocated to groups across the county for a range of activities that will help people gain new skills and improve their chances of finding paid work.

The application deadline for round three is 12 noon on Friday, 24 August.  Small, not-for-profit groups can apply for up to £12,000 to help people living in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton who are not in paid employment.  Priority will be given to applications for work with lone parents, women, people with health or disability issues, people aged 50 or above, and people from diverse communities (including ethnic minorities).

IMPORTANT: Groups are now only eligible to apply if their total income over their previous three financial years is below £300,000.  This total income figure is for the organisation as a whole, not just the specific project for which funding is being sought.

Please call 01962 857358 for more details or see the grants and funding section of the Community Action Hampshire website at

Community Grants is funded by the European Social Fund and the Skills Funding Agency, and managed in the south-east of England by Surrey Community Action.  CAH is administering the programme in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.