Strategic grants priority information

Listed below are the priority groups for the Strategic Grants Programme.

Children and young people

Projects that meet the needs of disadvantaged children and young people and further their future development and opportunities.

Older people and their carers

Projects that help older people be less isolated and more independent by increasing their opportunities to contribute to society and by helping them get the support they need to minimise the effects of failing health and low income. Projects that help carers support older people to be less isolated and more independent. Projects that help carers themselves be less isolated and get the support and opportunities they need to look after their own interests and development. (By carers we mean informal carers.)

Disabled people and their carers (including people with physical impairments, mental health problems and learning difficulties)

Projects that help disabled people play a fuller role in society and live as independently as possible. Projects that help carers support disabled people in playing a fuller role and living more independently. Projects that help carers themselves feel less isolated and get the support and opportunities they need to look after their own interests and development. (By carers we mean informal carers.)

Black and minority ethnic communities

Projects that combat discrimination and improve the inclusion of black and minority ethnic communities in mainstream community life by increasing access to services, facilities and economic, social and cultural opportunities.

Refugees and asylum seekers

Projects that improve the quality of life of refugees and asylum seekers by increasing access to services (including support in dealing with racism) and by improving opportunities to influence service provision.

People living in areas disadvantaged by social and economic change, whether rural or urban, including areas of declining local industry, areas of poverty isolated by surrounding affluence, areas affected by migration

In urban areas, projects that increase community participation, service provision and access to services and facilities. In rural areas, projects that tackle isolation by improving opportunities for access to services, employment and the benefits of a wider community.

People in Community Fund geographical priority areas, including fair share areas, in more than one country of the UK, or two or more England regions.

Building infrastructure and capacity

We will also give priority to projects which improve the skills, networks, equipment and assets of voluntary and community organisations in order to help them meet the needs of the above priority groups.

fair share and Community Fund geographical priority areas

We will give priority to projects working strategically to address need in Community Fund fair share areas and Community Fund geographical priority areas in more than one country of the UK, or two or more England regions.

fair share is an initiative run jointly by the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund, from 2002 to 2005. It aims to target extra resources on disadvantaged areas that have received less than the average amount of Lottery resources since 1995. There are 62 areas in the fair share initiative in England, Scotland and Wales. The Community Fund is giving priority to 37 of them - the areas that have received less from the Community Fund than the average we have given since 1995. fair share areas in Northern Ireland will be announced later this year.

In Wales and some English regions the Community Fund has a small number of further geographical priority areas. These are areas that have not received a fair share of Community Fund resources in comparison with the rest of that region.