Last year the Small Grants project funded over a hundred local activities with grants of £500, £5,000 and £25,000. But the grant panel has only met once since March, endangering some groups’ ability to provide summer activities.
The Small Grants Fund has been managed by Burngreave Community Action Trust (BCAT), but New Deal (BNDfC), who fund the project, recently marked it with a ‘Red Light’, given to projects it has major concerns about. Now New Deal has decided to take over the management of the project. John Clark, BNDfC Chief Executive, told us:
“The decision to terminate the contract was based on evaluation of the >first year’s performance and concerns about the effectiveness of the >management and delivery of the project. It is BNDfC’s intention to meet >with BCAT to explore how lessons can be learned from this experience, >but we do not feel it would be helpful or productive at this stage to make public specific concerns that could potentially undermine the >delivery of other programmes managed by BCAT.”
New Deal has marked out five other projects with ‘Red Lights’; these are Green Gym, Listen to Us, Pitsmoor Somali Youth Project, Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Asian Disability Project and BCAT’s Organisational Development Project.
BCAT were unable to comment on the termination of the Small Grants Fund contract for legal reasons, but said they are in discussion with New Deal.
New Deal will be running a grant round in July, in the hope of funding those projects wanting to provide summer activities. Details are on the leaflet in this Messenger, or you can contact New Deal on 279 6932.