Lichfield opens £1.17 million community funding programme

Lichfield District Council has opened its largest community-sector funding programme, backed by £1.17 million over the next three years.

Voluntary organisations often reach residents facing isolation, poor wellbeing and difficulty accessing essential services, but short-term funding can limit what they deliver. The new programme offers a longer funding window and includes a dedicated transport fund for access to work, healthcare, education and community services.

The approach builds on £787,288 of earlier council investment across 14 organisations. Over two years, those groups recruited more than 200 volunteers, provided support or guidance in over 3,000 cases, helped more than 3,300 young people with mental health and wellbeing, and supported over 300 adults to improve their wellbeing.

Those previous results give the new investment a stronger basis than an unsupported pledge. They do not guarantee identical outcomes, however, and the council has not yet announced which organisations will receive the new money or how impact will be independently assessed. Applications remain open until 10 September, after which funding decisions and the selected projects will determine how widely the programme reaches residents.