Gateshead Council has opened a funding scheme, the Gateshead VCSE Fund, which will distribute approximately £400,000 to local charities and community groups across Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Local organisations can apply for grants of up to £30,000 per year to pay for essential services and projects that support health, wellbeing and the local economy.
The fund is administered by Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland and is intended to give longer-term stability to groups supporting vulnerable residents. Connected Voice, which provides guidance and funding support to applicants, lists the application deadline as 20 October 2025 (23:59).
Successful groups will start receiving funding from 1 April 2026. Multi-year awards of up to two years are available, but any multi-year funding will be confirmed and paid annually.
Councillor Maria Hall, Cabinet Member for Localities, Communities and Volunteering, said: “Accessible support out in our communities makes a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of our residents.” This funding round follows an earlier VCSE Fund distribution in which the council awarded a total of £700,000 to 27 grassroots organisations.
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