The first winners of the Equilibrium Foundation Grant Awards have been announced – with six Greater Manchester charities granted a share of £60,000.
The Equilibrium Foundation launched the awards in April to fund smaller, lesser-known charities across in the North West.
Sarah Warburton, Chairperson of the Equilibrium Foundation, said: “We created the Equilibrium Foundation Grant Awards to show our appreciation for the local charities that provide vital support to those who need it most, and it was incredible to receive such a high volume of applications in our first year.”
The awards aim to combat child poverty across the region, where 34% of children live in poverty, by inviting applications from not-for-profit organisations which address this regional crisis.
Winning organisations include Wythenshawe’s Norbook Youth Club, which provides leisure and community activities for youths, Home-Start, which has built a community network of trained volunteers and experts around Trafford, Salford, and Wigan to support young families with children, and South Manchester’s Bare Necessities toiletry bank which collects and distributes products to a network of charities.
The other charities include Bolton Toy Library, which is dedicated to improving outcomes for children by providing therapeutic play and specialised resources, Salford-based Prevent 2 Protect, which aims to tackle safeguarding issues for young people through educational workshops, and Swinton Lions Community Sports Foundation, which promotes healthy lifestyles and sports engagement.
The grant will support these centres to enhance facilities, provide aid to families facing poverty, and develop innovative programmes for targeted groups.
