VOLUNTARY and community groups are being invited to bid for up to £10k of Redditch Borough Council’s grant funding.

It was agreed at a full council meeting last November that there would be some changes made to the scheme for the three-year period 2023-2026.

The funding is now broken down into two categories, part will be allocated for applications between £500 and £2,000 and part for grants between £2,001 and £10,000.

A total of £100k is available to bid for and it can be used to help with core costs and salaries or to support the delivery of community events, projects, and activities.

As in previous years, £10k of this will be used for a mental health pot – for projects specifically focusing on suicide prevention - leaving a main grants pot of £90k.

Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “I’m pleased that we will continue to ringfence £10k of this money to support the mental health of our community, with a particular focus around suicide prevention, an issue which Redditch has unfortunately seen too much of over the years.

“The new changes also mean that more groups have the opportunity to apply, whether they need £500, £5000 or more.”

The application is open until 4pm on Friday, February 24.