THE Examiner has £30,000 to give away to local groups.

The massive cash injection has been provided by the Community Foundation For Calderdale – but the money will go to groups in Kirklees.

The cash must distributed by the end of March and a competition has been launched today.

It is only open to groups with an annual income of £20,000 or less.

They must have been running for 12 months or more and are mostly run by volunteers.

This is because the cash comes from a pot of Government money called Grassroots Grants, which is managed by the Community Development Foundation and funded by the Office of the Third Sector and the area the money has to go includes Calderdale and Kirklees.

The money is part of a £130m nationwide drive by the Government to support thousands of groups and projects across the country who work hard to improve their local communities.

Groups can apply for up to £900 and then a panel of judges will sift through the entries and allocate the money to the groups which score in accordance with the Grassroots Grants criteria.

Any small group or community organisation can apply for a share.

It could include clubs dedicated to helping the elderly, groups that clean-up the environment, good causes involved in the arts or schemes that improve children’s health and well-being.

Those who have already successfully applied for cash help from the Community Foundation for Calderdale previously include Huddersfield Town Disabled Supporters’ Club and Huddersfield MDF Bi Polar Self-Help Group for people with manic depression and their carers.

To apply, people can either use the form in the paper to apply or go to our website – www.examiner.co.uk – where they can apply online or download a fo rm.

Examiner editor Roy Wright said: “It’s not often groups can apply for money so easily so I would urge every community-based group or organisation that needs some funding to act now.

“The economic climate is exceptionally harsh at the moment which makes this giveaway extra special.”

The closing date for applications is February 27 and once the judges have carefully sifted through every one, the winners will be announced towards the end of March.

They will then receive their cash and a certificate at a high profile presentation event.

The application process is exceptionally easy.

All groups have to do is fill in basic details about themselves, how much they want and what they will spend it on.

The Community Foundation for Calderdale works closely with Voluntary Action Kirklees on this and other funding streams, and organisations should contact them for further funding advice.

Terms and conditions:

NORMAL Trinity Mirror NW2 competition rules apply. See www.examiner.co.uk/rules for a full list of terms and conditions. Applications are welcome from community/voluntary/charity organisations within Kirklees, West Yorkshire that have an annual income of £20,000 or less, that have been running for 12 months or more and who are mostly run by volunteers.

For full eligibility guidelines visit www.cffc.co.uk/grassroots/ Groups can apply for a maximum of £900. All applications need to arrive at The Huddersfield Daily Examiner’s office, Queen Street South, Huddersfield HD1 3DU no later than 27th February 2009.

All applications will then be contacted by the Community Foundation for Calderdale and asked to submit further details. A grants assessment panel in Kirklees will judge applications.

Winning entries will be the ones, which score in accordance with the Grassroots Grants criteria. No correspondence will be entered into; the panel's decision is final.

All grant awards will be provided through the Community Foundation for Calderdale and Grassroots Grants, managed by the Community Development Foundation, funded by the Office of the Third Sector. Prizes are not transferable and non-refundable and subject to availability or change.

The promoter is Trinity Mirror Huddersfield. Winners must agree to publicity reasonably requested by Trinity Mirror Huddersfield. No purchase necessary. Intro