Aberdeen Harbour Board has today announced a £30,000 fund to support local charities and community groups in 2019.
The sponsorship awards will see the 50th group supported by the Harbour. The total amount will be shared between three groups which support either health and wellbeing, skills and talent, or environmental improvement. Sponsorship awards have been increased up to £10,000 per organisation for one year.
The Harbour’s Community Action Fund was originally opened in 2014 and has since supported 49 organisations and projects in the city, impacting more than 200,000 people in the region. The fund has attracted praise from Aberdeen’s flagship third-sector interface organisation, the Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations (ACVO), which has been instrumental in assisting the Board with developing the fund.
Michelle Handforth, chief executive of Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “At one of the most historically important periods in the Harbour’s history, we would like to build on the existing funding programme to, by providing projects with larger funds. We are excited to be supporting our 50th charity and want to continue embracing our Trust Port status by providing for the local, hard-working third-sector community.
“We hope to become involved with the chosen organisations and build an even deeper supportive relationship. This funding is an important element of the Harbour’s purpose to create prosperity for generations to come.”
Alison Chandler, funding and business planning officer for ACVO, praised the Board’s conscious decision to support groups which traditionally find it hard to attract funding.
She commented: “This year’s fund has the potential to make a long-lasting, powerful change in people’s lives. The Fund has genuinely reached the grassroots of community action, truly supported the neediest in the region and genuinely understood what backing voluntary action really entails. As in previous years, the Harbour is not playing it safe, only funding organisations run by individuals from their own network. Standing out from the crowd in this way takes courage, and we applaud the Harbour Board for it.”
Applications for sponsorship will open on Friday, February 1 until Sunday, March 31. Application forms and guidance documents are available on the Harbour website.
