Orbit invests £100,000 in new grant funding project

One of the UK’s largest housing associations has launched a £100,000 innovation fund. The Better Days Innovation Fund provides access to grants to support community projects which will help improve day-to-day life for Orbit’s customers and the communities it serves.

Social enterprises, local businesses, universities, charities and not-for-profits across Orbit’s operating areas in the Midlands, East Anglia and south east, are encouraged to bring new thinking and innovative ideas to the table to solve challenges customers face in their communities.

There will be three pots of grant available for organisations to apply for; under £500, £500-£5,000, and more than £5,000. Grants will be awarded to projects which help address key local issues around money, employment and skills, wellbeing and digital inclusion.

Sam Scharf, head of community investment at Orbit said: “Our mission is to change lives and communities for the better and the Better Days Innovation Fund will allow us to do this on a bigger and more ambitious scale than ever before.

“We want to do more to have a greater impact and we want to expand our ecosystem of people we work with who share our ambitions to tackle the challenges that exist. We know those challenges are big, we know that generational shifts, technological change amongst others makes living day-to-day difficult. This is what inspired Orbit’s Better Days programme and continues to push us to do more.”

Launched in July 2016, Better Days is Orbit’s new approach to engaging with customers and supporting them beyond residential needs. The 40,000-home housing association aims to put its customers at the heart of everything it does and Better Days was created, as a key mechanism in helping to achieve the organisation’s 2020 target of investing £30 million into its communities, helping Orbit’s 100,000+ customers lead better lives.

To find out more visit www.betterdaysfund.co.uk or call 0800 678 1221.