Magic Little Grants Fund 2019 to Support Hundreds of Local Charities with £500 Grants

• Hundreds of grants of £500 will be awarded to local charities and community groups through Localgiving’s Magic Little Grants Fund 2019.
• Grants will be given to groups providing projects that support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise.
• First time grantees will be awarded a free annual membership of Localgiving worth £96.

Localgiving is delighted to announce the launch of its latest Magic Little Grants Fund. Through the Magic Little Grants Fund, Localgiving distributes £500 grants to local charities and community groups, with an annual income under £250,000, that support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise, with the primary aim of improving the physical health of participants.

Magic Little Grants 2019 is funded by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Thanks to an award of £550,000 from Postcode Community Trust, meaning this will be the biggest Magic Little Grants fund to date.

As well as receiving a grant, successful organisations that are new to Localgiving will also receive a free annual membership with Localgiving worth £96 - funded by Postcode Community Trust. This will give them access to Localgiving’s online fundraising platform, regular match fund campaigns and competitions, and numerous fundraising resources.

New groups can register with Localgiving and apply for a grant here: http://grants.localgiving.org/pct

In 2018, £215,000 was distributed to 430 local charities and community groups. A vast range of projects received support ranging from dementia friendly Tai Chi to sailability clubs.

Localgiving and Postcode Community Trust were joined at St. James’ Park, the home of Newcastle United Football Club, by previous Magic Little Grants awardees and their beneficiaries to celebrate the launch of this year’s fund.

One such group, Skeleton Cleveland Special Olympics,were awarded a Magic Little Grant in 2018. Founder of Skelton Cleveland Special Olympics, Keith Wilcox, said:

“Skelton Cleveland Special Olympics was fortunate to receive a grant of £500 from the Magic Little Grant fund. The application was very simple and took less than 10 minutes to fill out. It had very straight forward questions and within a few weeks we were delighted to receive the grant!”

Leith Community Archers, who received a grant to help them purchase new archery equipment, said:

“It has been tremendous, one of our members who uses a wheelchair has progressed to be an instructor through use of the equipment. This has inspired other members to want to do the same.”

Chris Dormer, Managing Director of Localgiving said:

“We’re extremely grateful to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery who have continued their support of our Magic Little Grants Fund. Since launching in 2017, we’ve supported 635 community projects and invested over £315,000 into local communities to help people to get more active.This year we will more than double this figure with our largest programme to date.

In addition to accessing a grant through our simple online application process, organisations that are new to Localgiving will benefit from an annual membership with Localgiving, also funded by Postcode Community Trust. This will enable them to access our wider online fundraising services and help them to raise additional funding towards their work.

With the impending closure of BT MyDonate, we know a lot of small charities will be looking for alternative online fundraising platforms. This is a great opportunity for them to benefit from a £500 grant and get access to a new fundraising platform that specialises in working with small charities.”

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:

“By reaching over 900 good causes in communities in Great Britain, the latest Magic Little Grants awards will have an immeasurable impact on the lives of the people who will benefit from this unrestricted funding. Thanks to feedback from groups previously supported, we know first-hand the positive impact that increasing participation to sport and physical activity has on mental wellbeing, as well as on improving physical health.

“I’m really proud players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting this initiative through Postcode Community Trust and encourage groups across the country to get an application in.”

Applicants for Magic Little Grants must either be in their first year of operation or have an annual income under £250,000. Preference will be given to projects that encourage social cohesion and help vulnerable people to overcome barriers to participation in physical activities.

Funding can be used to launch new projects, support existing ones, or cover core costs associated with ongoing work.

With its simple, intuitive, 10 minute application process, the Magic Little Grants fund reduces the work required for grassroots, often volunteer led, organisations to access the funding they need to launch or strengthen services.

The deadline for applications for Magic Little Grants 2019 is midnight on 30th November 2019.

To find out more: https://localgiving.org/what-we-do/magic-little-grants/

For more information please visit Localgiving.org, email help@localgiving.org or call 0300 111 2340.

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For more information please contact:

Lewis Garland, Communications Manager - lewis.garland@localgiving.org

About Localgiving

Localgiving is the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community groups. It aims to empower grassroots organisations to fundraise online, connect with supporters and take control of their financial future. In addition, it provides advocacy for the local voluntary sector and works to secure third party funding for its members. It provides free training opportunities, fundraising resources and regular incentivised giving campaigns to help groups raise funds online.

People’s Postcode Lottery

People’s Postcode Lottery manages multiple society lotteries promoted by different charities and good causes. People play with their chosen postcodes for a chance to win cash prizes. A minimum of 32% from each subscription goes directly to charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally -- players have raised £404 million so far. For details of the charities and good causes which are promoting and benefitting from the lottery draws, please visit https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/good-causes/draw-calendar

It costs £10 a month to play and winning postcodes are announced every day. The maximum amount a single ticket can win is 10% of the draw proceed. For details, please visit www.postcodelottery.co.uk/prizes

New players can sign up to pay using direct debit by calling 0808 10 9 8 7 6 5. New players who sign up online at www.postcodelottery.co.uk can pay using direct debit, debit card or PayPal.

Postcode Lottery Limited is regulated by the Gambling Commission under licence numbers: 000-000829-N-102511 and 000-000829-R-102513. Registered office: Titchfield House, 69/85 Tabernacle Street, London, EC2A 4RR

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