Each year the Gannett Foundation offers funding to registered charities operating in the regions linked to its 300 local newspapers and websites. The Gannett Foundation is the charitable arm of Gannett Co, Inc. owner of Newsquest Media Group, which publishes regional and local newspapers, websites and magazines across the UK.

Registered charities that “make a lasting difference to communities” within the circulation/production area of the 300 Newsquest titles may be eligible to apply for grants of between £5,000 and £10,000. The funding is intended to support one-off local activities or capital items that benefit a large number of local residents.

The Foundation is looking for projects that bring lasting benefits to the communities and neighbourhoods served by its newspapers. This includes schemes for neighbourhood improvement and local problem-solving, economic development, youth development, education and cultural creativity, help for the disadvantaged or disabled and environmental conservation. Preference will be given to projects that “demonstrate good planning, oversight and financial responsibility”.

It is particularly interested in ‘clearly reasoned’ applications relating to specific items of equipment or materials. This could be anything from a box of toys for disadvantaged children to sophisticated medical equipment for cancer research. Some of the projects receiving funding last year, for example, include:

£1,180 for two motorised recliner chairs for the elderly in Lancashire.
£1,000 for medical equipment for first aiders in Essex.
£10,000 for a youth shelter in Cornwall.
£5,720 for syringe pumps for a hospice in Worcestershire.
£3,000 for a horse for disabled children in Hampshire.
£5,550 for a community garden in Cheshire.
£2,200 for dinghies for sea cadets in Cumbria.
£2,000 for washing machines in a hostel for the homeless in Wiltshire.
£9,713 for equipment for beekeepers in Yorkshire.
£9,519 for a community greenhouse in London.

More information on the website.