Supporting Community Success through ‘Let’s Celebrate Stoke 100’ Grants
To mark Stoke-on-Trent’s centenary in 2025, the ‘Let’s Celebrate Stoke 100’ grant scheme was launched to support community-led events and activities.
We immediately recognised that many local organisations would be eager to apply but might need support to submit strong applications. By delivering targeted guidance and follow-up support, we helped a total of seven organisations secure a total of £20,237 in funding, demonstrating the power of early engagement and tailored assistance.
We anticipated a high level of interest in the grant programme from voluntary and community groups. However, many organisations have limited experience in writing competitive funding applications. Without support, they risked missing out on this unique opportunity to celebrate their communities and contribute to the city’s centenary legacy.
To address this, we took the following steps:
- Hosted an online information session attended by 12 organisations, where we explained the grant criteria, shared examples of eligible projects, and offered tips on writing compelling applications.
- Provided tailored follow-up support including reviewing draft applications and offering constructive feedback to improve clarity and alignment with the fund’s goals.
Extended support beyond the session assisting additional organisations who had not attended the webinar but sought help with their applications.
As a result of our support seven organisations were successful in securing funding, totalling £20,237.
Funded projects included:
- A community event and celebration mosaic.
- An art installation.
- A textile project.
- A folk day event.
- Interactive community workshops.
- A street party.
- A football tournament and social inclusion event.
"That was a really useful run through the requirements. Thank you."
Feedback from participants indicated that the support helped them gain clarity about their projects and improved their confidence in applying for funding. These events are expected to foster community pride, encourage participation, and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
Building on this success, we plan to offer additional funding focused sessions for grants in the future.