COMMUNITY groups and charities are once again invited to apply for a share of the Gannett Foundation's big charity give away.

The Gannett Foundation is the charitable arm of Gannett Co Inc., the parent company of Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK's largest publishers and owners of the Bromsgrove Advertiser, Droitwich Advertiser, Redditch Advertiser and Kidderminster Shuttle.

We provide funding to registered charities in the areas where we operate local newspapers and websites.

In the last 10 years alone, the Gannett Foundation has made grants in the UK alone totalling nearly £4 million.

We value practical and creative projects that bring lasting benefits to the communities and neighbourhoods served by our newspapers and online audience.

That includes schemes for neighbourhood improvement and local problem-solving, economic development, youth development, education and cultural enrichment, care of the elderly or infirm, help for the disadvantaged or disabled, and environmental conservation.

We particularly invite clearly reasoned applications asking for specific items of equipment or materials.

Most of our applications are for relatively modest sums meeting everyday needs and that will be our special focus in 2019.

We are also able to join with other contributors to support elements of more ambitious projects.

While preference will be given to ideas which create a tangible and durable benefit, we will consider single events, performances or other projects of limited duration that otherwise meet our criteria.

There are some restrictions:

• Applicants must be registered charities.

• Applicants must not have received a grant from us within the last two years.

• We will NOT fund salaries, professional fees or day-to-day running or maintenance costs; general appeals as opposed to specific projects; projects that do not bring benefits to our local communities; political or religious objectives; state or privately run schools (other than special needs) or hospitals (other than hospices); Community Interest Companies that are not registered charities.

We will favour projects that demonstrate good planning, oversight and financial responsibility. You must supply copies of your most recent accounts (where required by the Charities Commission) or other appropriate financial information, together with any supporting materials and details of your organisation’s managing committee.

The grants will be monitored by the relevant local newspaper Editor, and it will be a condition of each grant that the recipient must report back on it use to the Chairman of the Trustees within 12 months of the award.

Applications must be sent to the Editor Stephanie Preece by no later than 12noon on Friday, October 18, 2019.

Gannett Foundation UK 2019 Application Form.docx

Please complete the questionnaire and return it together with the scanned electronic copies of any supporting documents to stephanie.preece@newsquest.co.uk

The Trustees will meet to make the awards at the end of November 2019.