LOCAL charities and community groups are being encouraged to apply for a share of a funding pot of more than £3 million that has been raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery to support projects which will help people in the area and their communities.

Applications are open from August 1 until August 15, 2018, with both community groups and local charities being eligible to apply for the grants of between £500 and £20,000.

The funding is available through three trusts which focus on different themes:

• People’s Postcode Trust supports projects aimed at promoting human rights, employability and combatting poverty

• Postcode Community Trust focuses on initiatives that benefit communities through the delivery of grass-roots health and well-being programmes

• Postcode Local Trust looks for applications that aim to improve biodiversity and outdoor spaces.

More than 350 projects were awarded with grants in the last funding round. With previously funded projects ranging from sports clubs, to mental health groups, to wildlife conservation charities, this is a fantastic opportunity for groups to access funding to make a difference in the local community.

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Charities and good causes are at the heart of what we do at People’s Postcode Lottery, and we’ve seen funding from these trusts makes a huge difference to communities.

“I’m very excited to see the applications come in this year from across Great Britain. Across the three trusts, a huge variety of projects can benefit and I’d urge groups to take a look at the websites, see where their project fits and get applying!”

A minimum of 32 per cent from every People’s Postcode Lottery ticket goes directly to good causes. To-date, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £320 million for more than 4,000 good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

For more information and to apply for funding, please visit the trusts’ websites: www.postcodetrust.org.uk