Rochdale community groups win £500,000

Community Foundation for Greater Manchester

Small community groups and projects in Rochdale are to benefit from a £526, 693 cash injection, after the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester (CFGM) won a government competition to distribute funding to grassroots initiatives in the area.

CFGM will now be able distribute £323,266 of grant funding directly into Rochdale over the next three years, using its expertise and knowledge of the local area to identify those small local charitable organisations who are best able to use the money to make a real difference.

Community organisations in Rochdale could also stand to benefit from a further £406,854 over the next three years if philanthropists and businesses come forward to put up cash to match some of the government’s funds announced today.

Nick Massey Chief Executive of CFGM said: “This is fantastic news for CFGM and for communities across Greater Manchester. I urge individuals and businesses who want to put something back into the local community to consider using this scheme. There has never been a better and more cost effective way to give and to see the impact of that giving more than treble because of government help.”

“Our Foundation has already been working hard to build an endowment fund to ensure that there is always money available for future people and communities from Rochdale and across Greater Manchester. We have £39,000 already in that fund specifically for Rochdale, meaning that when we complete this new match challenge we will have more than £445,000 invested to provide for the people of Rochdale – safeguarding their future."

The money is part of a £130 million nationwide (£6.3 million in Greater Manchester) drive by the Government to support thousands of groups and projects across the country who are working to improve their local communities.

Under the scheme, people are being offered the opportunity to more than treble the value of their charitable donations if they do their giving through a long term fund to be set up by CFGM, the investment interest from which will then be used to ensure that further grants are available for the future, particularly once the current round of funding comes to an end after March 2011.