A total of 79 organisations in Liverpool are to benefit from almost £12 million in funding from the city council over the next three years. 

The cash, aimed at benefiting the most deprived communities in the city, has been awarded under the Voluntary and Community grants programme. 

The three year fund will see up to £4 million given each year to organisations under five themes:

• Community legal advice services
• Support for victims of domestic violence
• Non-housing support for single homeless people
• Stronger communities
• Strengthening community and voluntary organisations

Examples of projects being funded include a drop-in centre for homeless people, projects to help domestic violence sufferers and initiatives to help older people stay physically and mentally active through tai chi or computer skills.

A number of advice centres and Citizens Advice Bureau's are also receiving funding, and there has been a focus on projects which encourage people from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures to come together, including an Afro-Caribbean luncheon club.

Merseyside Society for Deaf People which gets £171,000 to work with people from black and minority ethnic communities

Other organisations to benefit include Henshaws Society for Blind People which gets £90,000 while the League of Welldoers gets a similar amount for community projects.

Train 2000 gets £153,000 to run projects to help women into employment and there's £90,000 for a victim support and witness service.

Lib Dem Councillor Flo Clucas, chair of the voluntary sector panel, said: "Liverpool is one of the most generous cities in the country when it comes to funding the voluntary sector because we recognise the valuable role it plays in regenerating the local community.

"We had an overwhelming response with bids for almost three times the amount of money available so we have had to make some very difficult decisions about which schemes to award money to. 

"I can assure people that every single application was carefully scrutinised based upon its merits and everyone was given the chance to put their case." 

The Voluntary and Community Groups schemes is just one of several funding schemes run by the city council. 

Around £300,000 has been made available through the community chest scheme for small grass roots community projects. 

A further £440,000 has been given to cultural organisations to run small scale "Creative Communities" projects linked to Capital of Culture. 

And the city council awards £2.7 million in grants to youth organisations for projects which engage children and teenagers. 

In total, the city council gives £7.6 million to voluntary, cultural and educational organisations - believed to be one of the largest grant programmes of any local authority in the UK.

The city council's Executive Board approved the funding at a meeting on Friday, February 29th.