Press release

Minister for Civil Society announces further funding for successful social action projects

Four projects with a track record of improving the lives of thousands will receive more funding, minister Nick Hurd announced today.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The grants have come from the government’s Social Action Fund, which is administered for the Cabinet Office by the Social Investment Business. The four will receive over £3.1 million all together, bringing the total granted through the Social Action Fund since it was set up in 2011 to £24 million.

The successful organisations are Tearfund, County Sports Partnership Network in partnership with YMCA, The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise and Play England, hosted by the National Children’s Bureau. Each group has previously received support from the Social Action Fund for projects which have demonstrated particular effectiveness.

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:

The Olympics showed us the scale of what is possible by people coming forward and volunteering. Similarly these projects show what an extraordinary range of issues can be tackled by people giving their time and working together. Each project here has produced fantastic results in the communities they operate in, which is why I want to give them this additional support from our Social Action Fund so that more people benefit from their great work.

Tearfund is a Christian international relief and development agency which has used the funding, in partnership with the Cinnamon Network, to create social action projects led by local churches throughout England.

The Social Action Fund grant will enable them to provide start-up grants and support projects that encourage volunteers to address some key social challenges, including: foodbanks, employment programmes; debt-relief work; freedom from addiction programmes; and projects that help the homeless.

County Sports Partnership Network, in partnership with YMCA, will continue to run Community Games; a programme designed to stimulate community-based sporting and cultural events in celebration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise is a national organisation which provides unemployed people or those under threat of redundancy over the age of 50, the help to explore starting their own business, through provision of information, training, mentoring and support.

Play England has received funding to get more people involved in getting children and young people outside playing. Working with 20 locally-based adventure playgrounds and community-based organisations, the grant will be used to strengthen their capacity to recruit and support volunteers and to campaign nationally to encourage everyone to get kids outside so they can be healthy, happy and feel part of their own communities.

Notes to editors

About the National Children’s Bureau and Play England

The National Children’s Bureau is a leading research and development charity working to improve the lives of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable. We work with children, for children to reduce the impact of inequalities, by influencing government policy, being the voice for 200,000 front-line professionals, and inspiring practical solutions on a range of social issues including health, education and youth justice, through our extensive research and evidence work. Every year we reach more than 100,000 children and young people through our membership scheme, links with voluntary, statutory and private organisations, and the 30 specialist partnership programmes that operate under our charitable status. Play England is hosted by the leading national children’s charity the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), and campaigns for all children to have the freedom and space to play throughout childhood. As the national organisation for children’s play, Play England works with all those who have an impact on children’s lives to support and champion play as an essential part of childhood.

About The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise

The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (The Prince’s Initiative) is the only national organisation dedicated to supporting business creation by the over 50s entrepreneur, through online resources, business training courses, mentoring and support.The charity was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in response to the letters he was receiving from mature people desperate to find work, but unable to find anyone to employ them - because of their age. The Prince’s Initiative is partially funded by Senior Enterprise which has recently been approved for support by the EU through INTERREG IVB NWE, and is specifically designed to encourage a greater involvement with enterprise by those aged over 50. The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (PRIME) is a registered charity (No.1138233) and a company registered in England and Wales (No. 4184314).

Contact: Steven Fifer, Communications Manager (phone: 020 3137 8526).

About Community Games

For more about Community Games, contact Donna Roddy, PR Manager.

Published 15 March 2013