ONCE again the Western Telegraph is launching its annual offer of support to local charities through our parent company’s Gannett Foundation.

The Gannett Foundation is the charitable arm of Gannett Co, Inc., owner of Newsquest Media Group, which publishes regional and local newspapers, websites and magazines across the UK.

The Gannett Foundation provides funding to support local projects and organisations in areas where Newsquest operates. The funds are managed by the Quartet Community Foundation.

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 every-day needs, but we will consider worthwhile projects on a bigger scale. And 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 durable legacy for the community, we will consider single events or projects of limited duration that otherwise meet our criteria.

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)

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 editor Steve Adams, 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.

The following are just some typical examples of the grants we made in 2016 all over the UK:

£4,730 for greenhouses and tools at a community garden in Bradford;

£4,000 to refurbish the kitchen at Chideock village hall in Dorset;

£5,740 bought medical equipment for the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice in Berkshire;

£3,080 supporting motorcycle and carpentry projects for youth in South London;

£6,170 to supply hot home meals for the sick and elderly in North London;

£5,530 for tumble dryers and other equipment at homeless shelters in Lancashire;

£4,410 for community sports in Hampshire; and

£6,600 paid for theatrical equipment for a community hall in South Wales.

The application form must not be altered in any way.

We will not accept applications that are not made using this form.

Applications must be sent initially to editor Steve Adams by no later than 5pm on Monday 9th October 2017.

Please complete this questionnaire and return it electronically to steve.adams@newsquest.co.uk, together with scanned electronic copies of supporting documents.

Alternatively, type or print clearly and put the form and documents in the post to: Steve Adams, West Wales Group Editor, Western Tangiers, Fishguard Road, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 4BU.

We may reject incomplete questionnaires. If you need more space to answer our questions, please attach a detailed proposal on no more than two pages.

The Trustees will meet to make the awards at the end of November 2017.

Please note that completed application forms and any attachments (including discs or USB sticks etc) are non-returnable.

WT GANNETT FOUNDATION APPLICATION FORM 2017.docx