Up to £30K for community learning projects

This is a shout out to all community organisations in Somerset – the Community Learning Partnership Fund for community learning projects is now open for applications, with a closing date of Friday 2 July 2021.

So if you run a charity or organisation that provides community education to Somerset residents age 19+, we’d love to hear from you!*

Community Learning Partnership

Our Community Learning Team supports programmes which maximise access to community learning across Somerset. We’re passionately committed to widening participation in learning across the county and, via funding provided by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), up to £30,000 per project is now available to organisations in Somerset.

Sara Hodges, Community Learning Lead at SS&L, says,

“It’s a privilege to be able to fund the delivery of a diverse range of community learning projects across the county, all wishing to support the community’s needs. The Community Learning Fund and the amazing projects involved, truly contribute to changing lives through learning. The learning and education delivered by these projects engages people who might otherwise not be able to access learning via more conventional means, offering genuine social value to our communities across Somerset.”

Current projects

This year we’ve funded over 30 projects that have so far provided learning opportunities for more than 3000 learners, with delivery continuing until the end of June.  We’ve been astounded by the resilience and creativity of our partnership, particularly in their response to the lockdown restrictions. Most projects managed to move their delivery online so they could continue to reach and support Somerset residents, particularly those who are most in need.

Social value

Additionally, we’re able to estimate a social value saving of approximately £350,000 due to those learners engaged in learning activities. We believe this gives a great insight into the wider impact of the fantastic work delivered to communities in Somerset.

The Stronger Communities Fund

If you’re an organisation involved in community learning and would benefit from further funding, why not apply to The Stronger Communities Fund?

The Stronger Communities Fund welcomes applications from community groups or organisations that support people of different ages and backgrounds to acquire a new skill, re-connect with learning to improve health & wellbeing and prepare for progression to vocational courses to support entry into the workplace or further learning.

How to apply

The fund is now open for projects planning to start delivery from September 2021. The closing date for this round is Friday 2 July 2021 at 5pm.

If you’re interested in applying for funding, please contact Emma Street via email at estreet@sslcic.co.uk for an application pack. We look forward to hearing from you.

SS&L is a leading adult education and apprenticeship training provider in Somerset, with five centres across the county.

* Bath, North and North East Somerset not eligible