The new South East Wales Community Economic Development Programme is a £13.5 million initiative designed to help third sector organisations to grow and provide better services for their communities. It aims to encourage organisations to become less dependent on grants and better equipped to tender for procurement contracts.

The scheme is expected to create 119 jobs as new organisations are established and others are expanded. As part of the programme a range of business support services, such as mentoring, business planning and financial management will be available. Grants up to £80,000 are on offer, based on up to 70 per cent of the eligible project costs.

The programme is open to voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, co-operatives and mutuals located in South East Wales, comprising the county boroughs of Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Torfaen. Applications may be submitted at any time.

The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust awards grant funding to organisations in the UK involved in work to: benefit or protect animals; relieve animals from suffering; conserve wildlife; and encourage the understanding of animals. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available to UK registered charities involved in animal welfare projects.

Applications can be made at any time.

This programme offers community and voluntary groups in former mining communities the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £5,000. The groups must be responding to local need or addressing key issues such as worklessness, isolation, skills, sector development and sustainability. Larger grants are available to bigger voluntary, community and statutory organisations.

Further details are available from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Part Unit 7, Maritime Office, Woodland Terrace, Maes-y-coed, Pontypridd CF37 1DZ. Tel 01443 404455 or visit www.coalfields-regen.org.uk/default.asp.

A government paper has recently been produced by Whitehall to "help faith groups identify sources of funding that could develop places of worship to make them better available to deliver public services, and to build the capacity of faith groups to engage strategically at local and regional levels around the delivery of local priorities and access to funding applications".

See here for more information.