Shropshire Star

£23,000 up for grabs for women's groups

Up to £23,000 is available to help groups and programmes that benefit women and girls across Shropshire.

Published
Trustees and staff at the Community Foundation highlighting the funds available to help women's groups, back row: Helen Dart and Sally Grieves, and front row Leanne Macpherson, Charlotte Almond, and Adele Cope

The money is from the proceeds of the so-called ‘tampon tax’, the funds generated from the VAT on sanitary products.

And women’s groups are now being invited to apply for grants through the Commnunity Foundation for Staffordshire, which is managing the government scheme across the north Midlands.

The​ ​money will be spent on a wide variety of projects that make a tangible and long-term difference to health, well-being, confidence and social/economic activity, as well as addressing equality gaps.

Leanne Macpherson, grants officer for the foundation, said interested groups had until November 5 to get their application in.

“The tampon tax ​community fund ​aims​ ​to​ ​support​ ​women ​to​ ​overcome​ ​barriers that​ ​prevent​ ​them​ ​from​ ​fulfilling​ ​their​ ​potential," she said.​

"This​ programme aims to fund ​small​-scale interventions, ​which​ ​will​ ​make​ ​a​ ​considerable difference to the lives and happiness of women and girls, by raising their aspirations and combating the influences that affect their confidence.

"The foundation wants to hear from schemes that can help build skills and confidence, for example, giving women the ability to apply for new jobs or return to the workplace.

"The scheme will fund items such as volunteer expenses, activity costs and project staff costs to deliver specific projects that will make a difference”

Individuals and groups can telephone 01785 339540 or email office@staffsfoundation.org.uk for further information. Alternatively, see the website staffsfoundation.org.uk