SEVERAL community organisations that operate in Taunton have been awarded a total of £38,000 through grants and sponsorships.

Yesterday, (Monday, July 8), Taunton Town Council held their second meeting of the Grants Committee this financial year to consider nine requests for funding from the grants and sponsorship budget.

The council has £65,000 available for Grants and £25,000 for Sponsorships this year.

A total of £21,500 was awarded from the Grants budget with a further £16,500 in sponsorship.

To date this financial year, a total of £41,550 in grants and £24,495 in sponsorship has been awarded by the town council.

All applicants successfully secured their request in full or in part.

Councillor Rob Isaacs, vice-chair of the Grants Committee said: “With applications from so many wonderful organisations, it was a fantastic way to kick off my role as vice-chair of the Grants Committee.

“It is such a privilege to be able to support so many passionate organisations to achieve their goals for the benefit of such a wide range of our residents.”

Three applications for Venue Cost Grants were also considered. More information on these will follow in a separate news release.

The Grants Committee are next scheduled to meet on 7 October 2024. The application deadline for that round of funding is 13 September 2024, details on how to apply can be found on our website.

The following organisations were awarded £2,000 in grant funding

  • North Taunton Scout Group for funding towards building renovations.
  • The Sound of the Streets for funding towards their Summer and Autumn Programme, school workshops in Taunton and instrument scheme.

The following organisations were awarded £2,500 each in grant funding

  • Community Counselling CIC for free counselling services for children and young people.
  • Diversity Voice for funding towards the THRIVE project.
  • Escape Support Group for funding towards core costs.
  • Go Create for funding to continue providing Tuesday and Wednesday sessions to young people, the homeless, those diagnosed with a variety of mental health conditions, the elderly, the socially isolated or those who are new to the area.
  • Hestercombe Gardens Trust for funding to support their engagement projects within Taunton.
  • State of Trust for funding towards a community celebratory event to mark Black History Month.
  • Taunton Rugby Football Club for funding towards pitch renovations.

The following organisations were awarded sponsorship

  • Taunton Pride CIC for £7,000 funding towards the Taunton Pride 2024 event in Vivary Park.
  • Unique Events (SW) CIC for £7,000 funding towards Taunton’s WinterFest annual celebration to bring together the community during the winter season.
  • TYCA Arts Taunton for £2,500 funding towards the Taunton Youth Culture and Arts Festival (TYCA).