Brighton Council Pumps £15k into BME Community Groups
Brighton & Hove City Council has just handed out £15,000 to nine community groups through its BME Engagement Fund. Launched in 2020, the fund backs projects that boost wellbeing and fairness for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) residents across the city.
Who’s Benefiting from the Funding?
Groups have snapped up grants of up to £2,000 to cover running costs and activities. Highlights include:
- The Open Minds Project: Funding local Black history walking tours and group running costs.
- Euro-Mediterranean Resources Network: Skills training for BME volunteers to create community radio and TV content celebrating cultural heritage.
- Banyan Tree Theatre Group: Led by BME women, delivering family-friendly singing workshops dubbed ‘Songs and Sounds of Healing’.
- Black & Minority Ethnic Community Partnership 50+ Group: Covering group activities and running costs.
- Brighton Black Anti-Racism Community Organisation (BARCO): Hosting an intergenerational dominoes and vinyl club.
- Women of Colour Brighton: Running a one-day wellbeing festival.
- Brighton Multicultural Women’s Cycle Club: Encouraging women into cycling with supported sessions and group rides.
- Ohisama Ahaha: Providing Japanese language lessons and cultural workshops for families, funded to cover running costs.
- A Seat At The Table: Supporting BME families with disabled children, focusing on special educational needs and wellbeing workshops.
Backing Local Communities, One Grant at a Time
The BME Engagement Fund is part of the wider Communities Fund, which supports local voluntary and social enterprise groups. Groups with annual incomes under £20,000 can apply for these grants between April and October. Another funding round for BME groups is set to launch later this year.
The council says these latest grants will strengthen and unite Brighton’s diverse communities. It’s a boost for fairness and wellbeing — exactly what the city needs right now.
