Changes to Mini Mediabox grants

by thebexter on 12-Mar-10 12:52

BIG CHANGES TO MINI MEDIABOX FUND

Mediabox has announced big changes to its ‘Mini Mediabox’ grant, giving more organisations from across the country access to funding for youth-led media projects.

The changes to ‘Mini Mediabox’ aim to encourage further youth groups and organisations from across England to take advantage of the grant. Changes include increasing the annual turnover threshold from £100,000 to £150,000 as well as accepting applications from support branches or umbrella groups.

Mini Mediabox has also opened its doors to schools and colleges, provided they are able to demonstrate that a Mini Mediabox project would provide a new, extracurricular opportunity for their students.

Mediabox is a Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) fund that gives disadvantaged young people the chance to create media projects about issues that matter to them, from film and journalism to digital media and campaigns.

‘Mini Mediabox’ is the smallest grant on offer, ranging from £1,000 to £5,000, designed to give organisations that have a limited track record of delivering media projects the chance to extend their experience and offer 13 – 19 year olds the opportunity to learn new skills and get their voices heard.

To incorporate these changes the online application process has been redesigned, making it easier and faster for first time applicants to access the funds. The changes to Mini Mediabox have been made in response to the needs of the voluntary sector.

Anna Walker from P.A.T.H, recently received Mini Mediabox funding for ‘Stories from Hounslow’, a project that gives a group of 13-19 year olds the chance to create a media exhibition exploring their feelings about their community.

Anna says: "We've been put off from applying for grants before, due to the length of time it takes and the impact it has on our limited resources. We’ve also been hesitant to apply for larger grants, as we don’t have the capacity to deliver a large-scale project. Mini Mediabox, with it’s quick application process and low level grants has given us the chance to try something we’ve always wanted to do and to empower the young people we work with.”

Mini Mediabox is now open for funding, for full application forms and guidelines visit the website. Sas Bonser is the Regional coordinators for the South West and is on hand to provide advice and pre-application support.

Tagged:Mediabox, Sas Bonser, funding