Women and Girls Projects Share in £74,000 of Funding

Hundreds of women and girls from across Merseyside will benefit from £74,000 from the first round of funding of the Merseyside Women's Fund.

Established by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, small grassroots charities and community groups have received between £5,000 - £10,000 from the Merseyside Women’s Fund to provide services for women of all ages and backgrounds facing issues such as domestic violence and abuse, mental health and wellbeing, confidence, aspiration, self-belief and resilience and social isolation.

Decisions were made by an independent panel and the fund was significantly oversubscribed  with bids of over £479,000 for a pot worth £74,000.

Community Foundation for Merseyside Chief Executive Rae Brooke said: “We are delighted to award the first round of funding from the Merseyside Womens. This funding will enable local grassroots charities and community groups to run some amazing projects that make difference to the lives of women and girls who need it most.”

The eight projects being funded across the Merseyside include:

• Women’s Health Information & Support Centre (WHISC) has received £9,883 to continue running drop in support sessions four times a week for vulnerable women.
• Sefton Women’s & Children’s Aid (SWACA) has received £10,000 towards the Mirror Project, raising awareness of the effects domestic abuse has on children.
• South Sefton Domestic Abuse Services has received £8,352 to deliver a programme of weekly support group sessions for women and children.
• SWAN Women’s Centre has £10,000 to recruit a counsellor and wellbeing coordinator to tailor support sessions for women.
• Knowsley Women and Girls Offering Support has received £6,710 to deliver a 12 week programme of workshops for women and young girls to promote self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Stray Cat Media has received £9,790 to work with 16 young women who have debilitating anxiety issues that profoundly affects their ability to participate in social opportunities.
• Home-Start Wirral has received £9,903 to arrange and run weekly support groups for women with a perinatal mental health illness.
• 4Wings Northwest CIC has received £9,848 to build social networks for women and girls through the development of a Happy News Channel.

Community Foundations are independent charities that make grants to support grassroots groups. They work with local businesses, funders and government to create tailored programmes of grant-making that respond to the needs and assets of communities. They also distribute funding secured through national programmes.