Community And Charity Groups Encouraged To Apply For SSEN Grant Funding

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is urging community groups and charities on the Isle of Wight to apply for grant-funding of up to £20,000 from its Resilient Communities Fund.

SSEN has made £200,000 available to non-profit making organisations, community groups and charities working to protect and enhance the resilience of those most vulnerable in central southern England.

The deadline date for applications is Thursday 10 June 2021 - and SSEN is keen to make sure as many eligible groups as possible apply.

In March last year, following stakeholder consultation, SSEN repurposed its annual resilience fund to support communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic, providing grants of up to £3,000 to community, town, parish and borough councils. Within seven weeks of the start of lockdown, SSEN awarded over £43,000 to communities across its South East region.

A previous successful applicant to the fund was Isle of Wight Search and Rescue (WightSAR), receiving £20,000 to enable them to buy a 4 x 4 vehicle.

Dean Terrett, Founder and Chairman of WightSAR, said at the time:

“We were delighted to receive the grant from SSEN, which allowed us to purchase a 4 x 4 vehicle to benefit the Island’s community and improve the capabilities of our search team.

"I’d encourage anyone thinking of applying to the fund to take up the opportunity and help boost their community."

Twenty-one communities across the region which serves areas including Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight received awards totalling £43,880 and while last year’s grants continue to support the ongoing community coronavirus response, the 2021 fund will support local projects which:

• Protect the welfare of vulnerable community members through enhancing their resilience and improving community participation and effectiveness.
• Enhance community facilities, services and communication – particularly to support local response to a significant emergency event.

The 2021 Resilient Communities Fund is particularly focused on projects helping vulnerable or isolated people living in SSEN’s network areas. Applications of up to £20,000 will be considered by an independent fund panel, made up of representatives of community and charitable organisations with expertise in community resilience planning, alongside members of SSEN’s management team.

Decisions on each application will be made in the autumn and communicated directly to successful applicants by September 2021.

Commenting on this year’s fund, Ian Drummond, SSEN’s Head of Region for South East, said:

“As SSEN plays its part in supporting the green economic recovery from coronavirus, we’re also committed to supporting our communities to build their own resilience as we emerge from the pandemic.

“I think we can all agree this past year has been a year like no other, but community spirit has never been stronger and we’re delighted to launch the fund again to make a real difference to the communities we serve.”

Since its launch in 2015, the Resilient Communities Fund has provided £2.8 million to 540 community groups and charities working across SSEN’s network areas. Initially run as a pilot, SSEN pledged to extend the fund to 2023 using a proportion of the income it receives from the industry regulator, Ofgem, in relation to its stakeholder engagement performance.

To find out more about the Resilient Communities Fund, read SSEN’s annual fund reports and apply from Tuesday 6 April, please visit: ssen.co.uk/resiliencefund.

To check which your network operator is to see if you would be eligible for funding, please visit ssen.co.uk/whoismynetworkoperator