It’s that time of year again when we invite deserving good causes to apply for a cash donation towards a special project.

Grants are being offered through the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of Gannett Co, Inc. the parent company of Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK's largest publishers and owners of this newspaper.

The foundation supports registered charities with projects which take a creative approach to issues such as neighbourhood improvements, local problem-solving, economic development, youth enterprise, sport and healthy living, assistance to disadvantaged or disabled people, care of the elderly, environmental conservation, and educational or cultural enrichment.

Five grants were awarded in south London last year:

Greenwich Talking Newspaper Association was given £800 to go towards providing ways for the blind and visually impaired to still consume the news through a weekly audio recording.

Homelink Day Respite Care Centre in Twickenham received £535 to put towards a commercial food mixer.

A grant of £4,000 was provided to 21 & Co in New Malden, a support group for children with Down's Syndrome and their families.

In Croydon, the Garwood Foundation was awarded £6,370 towards eye gaze technology, including software for a school providing education to young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

And the Kingston Carers Group received £1,900 for purchasing things like cooking equipment and sporting items to help support the young carers.

Grants are awarded to projects that bring lasting benefits to communities served by our local newspapers and websites.

While preference may be given to ideas which create a durable legacy for the community, we will consider single events or projects of limited duration that otherwise meet our criteria.

We entertain applications of any size or ambition. Typically our grants are modest sums for practical projects, but we will consider awards to larger projects which deserve our backing.

We are also able to join with other contributors to support elements of larger projects, though we prefer to be in a position of making a donation which will fund a project entirely or which constitutes the final instalment to complete a project. Decisions about funding will be made by the trustees based on the evidence submitted.

The foundation will favour projects that demonstrate good planning, oversight and financial responsibility. As a prerequisite, the submission of copies of the charity’s most recent financial accounts are required. In addition, any supporting materials and further details concerning the overall aims of the charity should be included with each submission.

Applications must be submitted on the approved application form, which can be downloaded at www.newsshopper.co.uk/gannettfoundation

The completed form and supporting document should be sent electronically via email to kprice@london.newsquest.co.uk. Submissions on paper are not encouraged, but if unavoidable, they must be sent to Newsquest South London, 9th floor, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Brighton Road, Sutton SM2 5AS.

In every case, applications must arrive by 5pm on Monday, October 8.