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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

£15 million race equality programme.

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Fifteen million pounds of Government grant money is up for grabs over the next three years to give new opportunities to the most isolated and disempowered men and women from minority ethnic communities, Home Office Minister, Lord Filkin, announced today.

The second round of Connecting Communities, a race equality grants programme, is inviting organisations to bid for funds for projects in three areas encouraging communities to:
· work on joint initiatives with other faith and community groups to build strong community networks;
· participate in seminars and community meetings with public service providers and employers to help shape service delivery and employment practice; and
· celebrate minority ethnic achievements to counteract racist and negative stereotyping and to build relationships with communities of different ethnic origin.

The closing date for funding applications is 25 June 2003. Please call 020 7035 5444 for details on applying.

The first phase of Connecting Communities, a three-year £12 million grant scheme, was launched in May 2000. The three strands of funding are:
Community Networks: A programme to help create strong and sustainable local community networks, and bring together, wherever possible, faith and community groups for joint initiatives.
Access to Jobs and Services: A programme to help build trust, respect and confidence between minority ethnic communities and public authorities, encourage the use of services provided, promote careers in public services as worthwhile opportunities, and ensure the views of minority ethnic communities are taken into account to enable appropriate service delivery and employment practice.
Positive Images: A programme to help counteract racist, negative stereotyping of minority ethnic people by publicising and celebrating the achievements of minority ethnic communities and individuals, and the positive contribution they have made, and are making, to British society, and promote trust and understanding between communities of different ethnic origin.

Lord Filkin said:
"We are making £15 million available for local people to develop their communities, an increase of 25 per cent on the first grant scheme.
"This money is being offered to organisations to run projects to help communities work together and improve their local services and community cohesion.
"The Connecting Communities scheme has already encouraged people to gain new skills and come together on faith and community initiatives. I very much want local organisations to come forward with new and innovative proposals to help build better community relations and promote better public services."

In addition to this grant, the Home Office Active Community Unit is also providing £1.5m (over three years from April 2002) to continue support for regional networks for the Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary sector in each of the nine regions of England. This should enable the sector to engage more effectively with regional bodies. The objectives of the grant programme are to:
· unlock further funds for the sector at regional level;
· advocate effectively for the sector at regional level to ensure that it is consulted and recognised as valuable in different policy areas and across sectors; and
· increase the effectiveness of the sector in each region through the provision of any of the following: advice, representation, training, publications and development services.
These networks will complement the local community networks being funded under the first phase of Connecting Communities.

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