06
Oct
Applications invited for share of £50,000 in Rotary funding
Dear Reader, we have made this article free to read. We publish about 100 articles a week all exclusively focused on local news. Please support independent local journalism by subscribing here. It costs as little as 14p a day.
Charities and community organisations in Harrogate are being invited to apply for grants of up to £10,000 from a new pot of funding distributed by Harrogate Brigantes Rotary.
The second round of the Brigantes Rotary Legacy Fund will share out £50,000 – the same amount that was distributed to 14 local organisations in 2024. That first round received 65 applications, with grants ranging from £400 to £10,000.
Beneficiaries included Resurrected Bites and the Happy Wanderers Ambulance Organisation, each of which received £10,000. Other charities and community organisations, including Coppice Valley Primary School, Harrogate Hospital Radio and Saint Michael’s Hospice, also received a share of the money.
The Legacy Fund was created following a generous bequest from local resident and friend of Harrogate Brigantes Rotary, Dennis Smith, who wanted the club to continue supporting organisations that make a significant difference to community well-being.
Applications are now open for the second £50,000 tranche, and grants of up to £10,000 are available for locally-led organisations operating in Harrogate.
The fund is particularly intended to support capital projects for which a grant would make a meaningful and lasting difference. However, funding for ongoing running costs will be considered if they lead to an identifiable and sustainable ongoing development.
Harrogate Brigantes Rotary president Guy Wilson said:
The first round showed us both the extraordinary work taking place across our district and the level of need among local organisations.
We were delighted to support 14 excellent projects in 2024, from accessible transport and hospice equipment to the restoration of community and school facilities.
We are now looking forward to hearing from another wide range of charities, schools and community groups. If your organisation has a project that could make a real and lasting difference locally, we encourage you to read the guidance and apply.
This year, Harrogate's Mayor, Councillor Viv Poskitt, and Lizzie Hughes, the interim CEO of Harrogate & District Community Action, have joined the judging panel.
They, alongside returning judge Matthew Stamford, director of Verity Frearson, and Guy Wilson and Peter Wood, president and past president respectively of Harrogate Brigantes, will decide which organisations will receive a share of the money.
Applications must be submitted by November 30, 2026. Further information on how to apply can be found here.
Successful applicants will be informed in December and announced in January at a celebration evening on January 14 at Oakdale Golf Club.
0