Charities have until 31 October to bid for Manx Telecom community funding

Charities and voluntary groups across the island have until Saturday 31 October to bid for money from Manx Telecom’s Marg McGee Community Awards, Isle of Man Today has reported.

The cut-off applies to the two new Marg McGee Community Partnerships, worth £10,000 each, and to the company’s Small Grants Programme. Both will be judged in November. Manx Telecom doubled the overall fund to £40,000 in July, the biggest sum the awards have offered.

The partnerships are open to registered Isle of Man charities. As well as the money, the two winners will become strategic partners of Manx Telecom for 2027. According to the paper, the partnership is meant to bring joint working, a higher profile and practical support.

To qualify, a charity’s work must cover culture, the environment, wellbeing or digital inclusion, or more than one of those. The successful pair are due to be announced in late 2026, with funding running through 2027.

The Small Grants Programme takes applications all year and is designed to help smaller groups run by volunteers, from sports clubs and youth organisations to heritage groups and village associations. It has two judging rounds. Bids received by 31 October will be considered in November, while later ones will be held over to the May 2027 round, which closes on 30 April.

Applications are judged by Manx Telecom’s senior leadership team together with guest MHKs. Winning projects will be recognised at a presentation evening in 2027.

The awards, now in their 19th year, started in 2008 as the It’s Our Community Awards. According to Isle of Man Today, they have since given more than £200,000 to over 200 Manx groups. They are named after Marg McGee, who died in October 2023.