FOURTH round of Ørsted’s Skill Funds are now open to applications organisations to offer STEM-related education on the East and West coasts of the country.
Combining the West Coast Community Benefit Fund and the East Coast Community Benefit Fund, £105,000 will be available again with £50,000 allocated to the West and £55,000 to the East.
Funds can be applied for through an open application process to experienced organisations that can develop and deliver STEM-related training or education courses, a one-off event, or a programme of targeted events.
The full amount per coast may be awarded to one organisation or split between a number of groups that apply.
The minimum grant organisations can apply for is £10,000, and the closing date for applications is Wednesday 6 May 2020 for both grants.
Imran Nawaz, Ørsted’s Stakeholder Advisor and Community Benefit Fund Manager, commented on the launch: “As a predominately engineering-based company, we recognise the importance of developing STEM skills, especially in the areas where we will be operating for a number of years.
“As always, we are really looking forward to seeing what exciting and innovate ideas for STEM projects will come forward this year.
“We have already worked with a number of organisations which have helped to improve local skills and employment opportunities within the region and this investment makes up just part of Ørsted’s overall annual funding commitment for the local community.”
Over one million pounds is to be committed across each coast annually and funding is expected to last for more than 20 years in each region.
The funding forms part of the community engagement programme for Ørsted’s Hornsea One and Race Bank offshore wind farms, which are located off the Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Norfolk coast, as well as Walney Extension offshore wind farm, located off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria.
The three wind farms combined will be capable of providing enough energy for over two million homes.
The Funds are being administered by the independent grant-making charity GrantScape.
For further information about the Fund, to see details of the projects awarded grants in the previous three rounds, and to find out how to apply, visit here
