Electoral Commission awards grants to encourage involvement in democracy

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The Electoral Commission has awarded grants totalling over £2,300,000 over three years to groups running projects to encourage understanding of, and participation in, the democratic process, including three grants to groups working with people from ethnic minority communities. 

• Sacoma, a voluntary organisation that serves the education and welfare needs of those from Sub-Saharan Africa and Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the UK, has been awarded £244,480. Its project will provide a series of workshop days, training and information provision events for people from ethnic minorities across England, aiming to help them to understand and participate in the democratic process.

• The Council For Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations Scotland (CEMVO) have been awarded £284,920 to deliver a series of training days and workshops enabling participants across Scotland to participate in the democratic process.

• An Munia Tober is a support group for the Travellers community in Belfast. They have been awarded a grant of £157, 121 to enable them to work with the traveller community in Northern Ireland to try to increase confidence in, and understanding of, the electoral process and ways to participate. They will run training courses for adults and young people, and will cascade the sessions from Belfast to the rest of Northern Ireland. The project name means ‘The Good Road’ in Traveller language Cant.

Stephen Rooney, Director of Communication at the Electoral Commission said “We are very pleased to award these grants to organisations that will help educate and engage people from ethnic minority communities in the democratic process, and look forward to working with them on some very exciting projects.”

With people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds being less likely to vote than white people (47% compared to 60%) these projects aim to promote participation in the democratic process, and make clear that politics is accessible to all.

Grants were also awarded to five organisations working with disability groups, United Response, Rethink, Disability Action Northern Ireland, Leonard Cheshire, and Outside the Box; and also four organisations working with young people; YMCA England, Barnado’s North East, British Youth Council and Area43 (Cardigan Youth Project).

Further information can be found at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/partnership or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For phone enquiries, call 0207 271 0561/0636

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