INVERCLYDE Council has awarded one-off grants totalling more than £230k to organisations supporting sport, recreation, arts, care and community activities.
The funding comes from the council’s Community Grants Fund, which provides money for community, sports and voluntary organisations across the area.
Grants of up to £10,000 can be used for facilities, running costs, projects and fee waivers. The latter can help groups meet the cost of hiring halls and sports pitches.
The awards include funding for sports clubs, uniformed organisations, music and theatre groups, churches and charities.
According to the full awards list, the first round of the 2026/27 fund provided £232,534.99. The total amount requested by groups was £709,476.97.
Councillor Graeme Brooks, chair of the grants sub-committee, said: “You can see from the list of organisations that have been awarded funding how diverse they are and, more importantly, how wide-ranging and far-reaching their impact is on so many people across Inverclyde.”
He added: “Unfortunately, the demand for financial support always far outweighs the available funding but I am pleased that we have, once again, been able to support such a breadth of community, charitable, voluntary and sports groups the length of Inverclyde.”
Among the largest awards are £7,500 each for Inverclyde & District Battalion The Boys Brigade and Girl Guiding Greenock Division.
The Boys Brigade funding will support annual running costs and hall hire. Girl Guiding Greenock Division will use its award towards annual membership fees, Festival of Friendship events and facilities for units.
Morton in the Community, Port Glasgow Boys Club and St Andrew's Boys Club have also received £7,500 each for youth football activities.
Morton in the Community will use its funding towards pitch hire. Port Glasgow Boys Club and St Andrew's Boys Club will use their awards to hire facilities for training and matches.
Inverclyde Amateur Swimming Club and Inverclyde Athletics Club have each been awarded £7,500. The swimming club will put the money towards pool hire, while the athletics club will use it for stadium costs, training, development camps and competitions.
Port Glasgow Voluntary Transport and the Inverclyde Voluntary Council of Social Service have also received £7,500 each. Their work includes providing free community transport for older residents and people with mobility issues.
The council has awarded Greenock Wanderers RFC £5,000, subject to conditions. The money will support a dedicated Skills Lab and pitch hire for training and games involving all age groups, including male and female teams.
Birkmyre Rugby Club has received £3,000 towards insurance and pitch hire. Grants have also gone to clubs covering American football, golf, hockey, bowls, swimming, martial arts, badminton, angling, sailing and curling.
In the arts, Inverclyde Music Festival Association has received £5,000 towards the 2027 music festival. Beacon Arts Centre has been awarded £2,000 towards the Beacon Book Festival 2027.
Other arts awards include £3,000 for Greenock Burns Club to support a schools Burns competition and secondary schools Burns Supper. Several groups, including Greenock Players, Inverclyde Youth Theatre and New Port Theatre Company, received smaller awards subject to conditions.
Port Glasgow New Parish Church and Lyle Gateway have each received £2,500. The money will support running costs, community groups and a range of classes and activities.
Charities Victim Support Inverclyde and Carers Gateway Inverclyde have each received £3,000. Victim Support will use its award for staff and volunteer travel, recruitment, training and community outreach space. Carers Gateway will support training and social and wellbeing events for unpaid carers.
Other awards include £3,000 for Creative Regeneration towards core costs at The Old Library community venue, and £2,000 for the Inverclyde Ukrainian Group to provide music and art sessions.
Community projects receiving support include Inverclyde Woodturning Club, which has been awarded £849.99 for a new lathe, and Wellington Allotments Garden Association, which has received £1,130 for storage lockers and materials.
Funding has also been given to community centres and groups facing utility, rent, transport and equipment costs. Branchton Community Centre received £2,000 towards increased energy costs and fuel for its shop van, while Kilmacolm New Community Centre received £2,000 towards increased utility costs.
Oor Club Inverclyde has been awarded £2,000 towards running costs for new premises and additional equipment and furniture. Beacon Arts Centre’s Creatability programme received £2,000 for tutors and support workers working with neurodiverse and disabled children and young people.
Councillor Brooks said: “I hope the grants will allow these successful groups to continue making a huge difference to the lives of the many people throughout the area that they support and I’d like to thank them for the positive contribution they make to our community.”
The full list of grants is available on the Inverclyde Council website. More information about the Community Grants Fund can be found at www.inverclyde.gov.uk/communitygrants.
Share