The EDP is joining forces with the Big Lottery Fund to award £250,000 of Lottery good-cause cash to community projects in the EDP’s circulation area of Norfolk, north Suffolk and east Cambridgeshire.
(Pictured is Norfolk Community Foundation chief executive Graham Tuttle, front right, and staff who are behind the £250,000 EDP Big Lottery campaign.)
The Big EDP Lottery Fund launched on Monday June 17 and is inviting community groups to bid for grants of between £10,000 and £30,000.
The campaign is aimed at encouraging communities to think about how funding could benefit their area and bring improvements to the lives of local people.
EDP editor, Nigel Pickover, said: “I’m really excited about this campaign. To have the opportunity to help distribute £250,000 to community projects in our area is an amazing opportunity.
“At the EDP we pride ourselves in being at the heart of our communities and we read about the great work of various projects on the pages of our newspaper and website every day.
“The chance to work with the Big Lottery Fund on this campaign allows us to offer projects a very significant amount of funding.
“I hope many projects apply for their chance to get some of the cash being made available.”
Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey, said: “I welcome this huge opportunity for groups to access funds thanks to the Big Lottery and our great local newspaper the EDP, always working hard for its readers.”
Since the National Lottery began in 1994, over £30bn has been raised and more than 400,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.
The money is distributed by independent bodies which have to follow government guidelines on distributing Lottery cash, such as Arts Council England, Sport England and the Big Lottery Fund.
The applications need to be submitted by Sunday, July 14 ahead of a shortlist being announced on Monday, September 2. Readers of the EDP will then have the chance to vote for which projects they would like to receive the funding.
Every day for two weeks readers will have the chance to vote for the projects they would like to see get the cash and the projects with the highest votes will be awarded the funding until all £250,000 of the Big EDP Lottery Fund money has been spent.
The winners will then be announced on Monday, September 23.
Dharmendra Kanani, Big Lottery Fund’s England director, said: “£250,000 is a lot of money and can make a huge difference in Norfolk. We are looking for community groups to put their heads together to come up with the best ideas that will not only involve and benefit the community but also capture the imaginations of readers to inspire them to vote.
