Column: Grant opportunities for autism community groups in Lincolnshire
By Neil Wells, Service Manager of the Virtual Autism Hub at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT)
I am pleased to share that expressions of interest are currently open to fund community groups in Lincolnshire that support autistic adults, children, young people or parents/carers.
Earlier this year, we awarded £121,374 of funding to 17 new and existing community-led groups to increase social and learning opportunities for autistic people, their families and carers. The groups range from weekly support groups and music sessions to self-defence and mindfulness sessions. You can read more about our current grantees on our website at www.lpft.nhs.uk/virtual-autism-hub.
We recently launched the second wave of funding, with expressions of interest open until 5pm on Friday 27 September 2024. We particularly welcome applications from groups led by individuals with lived experience of autism, both from parents and autistic individuals and we are very keen to work with small, volunteer-led organisations, either already established or newly formed.
In total, over £100,000 is available for groups across Lincolnshire, with projects able to receive funding of up to £10,000. The amount of funding approved for a project will depend on the costs associated with running the chosen activity.
Interested groups can apply by filling in the registration form on our website and any queries can be directed to our email address - [email protected].
The grant programme is just one stand of the Virtual Autism Hub, which launched earlier this year in March.
The Hub also offers non-clinical advice and support via a team of Specialist Autism Navigators for autistic people of all ages, their families and carers. Support includes providing advice, signposting to the community groups and services, information about autism and diagnostic pathways, and some practical support with tasks such as filling out forms or accompanying individuals going to their first meetings.
It's a real honour to lead the team, of which 80% have lived experience of autism. Some are parents of autistic children, some are autistic adults and some are both, bringing great knowledge and experience to the service they provide.
I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with local groups on our vision of creating a co-ordinated county-wide network of support, increasing what’s on offer for autistic people and their families who may need informal support, learning or social opportunities.