Business Grants, Support and Advice
ESF Global Grants Programme
Page compiled the Heartlands Business Forum - supporting West Midlands Businesses

Contact:
email: digbethtrust@hotmail.com or team@bhamfoundation.co.uk
telephone: 0121 753 0706/ 248 3323 or 0121 326 6886
web: http://www.bhamfoundation.co.uk
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The ESF Global Grants Programme

The ESF Global Grants Programme has a pot of money to fund projects helping the over 50s, disabled, minority ethnic or lone parents to work:

*Interview skills; writing CVs
*Mentoring; Counselling courses
*Community researches, e.g. feasibility studies
*New, not for profit business start-ups that benefit local communities
*Basic-skills training, confidence building etc. for the hard to reach groups
*Projects that reduce the barriers which are preventing people from getting a job
*Volunteering activities tailored towards building personal and administrative skills
*Training for people with disabilities to enable them to provide training & information to organisations so that they can employ people with disabilities

Some of the projects recently funded include:

Raising awareness of services/support available to people with disabilities seeking paid work
(The Coalition of Disabled People Birmingham)

One-to-one ICT support and confidence building skills for unemployed people from ethnic minority communities
(Local Community Association Centre)

This phase of the Programme runs until April 2003 and has a total of about £248,000 to provide funds of up to £6,000 for approved project activities. Groups can apply at any time up to end of February 2003.

Around £135,000 has been given to 24 projects so far.

For more information please contact the Programme Grant Administrators at the Digbeth Trust (0121 753 0706/248 3323, email digbethtrust@hotmail.com) or telephone the Birmingham Foundation (0121 326 6886, email team@bhamfoundation.co.uk)