Electoral Commission launches grant scheme to encourage involvement in democracy

Howard Lake | 11 April 2006 | Newswire

A new scheme being launched by The Electoral Commission is inviting applications for grants to encourage more involvement in democracy. The Commission will be awarding grants of up to £300,000 over three years for projects that encourage participation among:
• Young people outside formal education
• People from ethnic minority communities
• People with disabilities
Angela Salt, Communication Director at the Electoral Commission, said: We want everyone to feel that their voice is heard. By working with groups that will engage some of the most disenfranchised people in the UK, we hope to increase participation in the democratic process. We are really looking forward to hearing from groups about their ideas on helping to meet this aim.”
The new grants scheme will replace the Commission’s New Initiatives Fund which has funded innovative ways of engaging people in democracy, including Voluntary Action Leicester’s Active Voices, a project running workshops for people with learning disabilities; and CEWC-Cymru’s Training for Democracy project in Wales, supporting teachers and young people in citizenship education.
The scheme will be open for applications on 10th April, when applications will be available online. Further information can be found at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/partnership or by emailing pa***************@el*****************.uk. For phone enquiries, call 0207 271 0561/0636.
For further information contact:
Anna McGlynn on 020 7271 0530 or Gemma Thomas on 020 7271 0527
Out of office hours 07789 920414
Email pr***@el*****************.uk
Notes to editors
1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our mission is to foster public confidence and participation by promoting integrity, involvement and effectiveness in the democratic process.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.