A great option for getting more money to do things on the estate is the Groundwork Community Spaces fund.
About the Programme
There is a downloadable sheet here Information Sheet
Community Spaces aims to empower people to improve public spaces in their neighbourhood. It responds directly to people’s desires to have:
– Better places on their doorsteps-
– More interesting places for children to play
– Safer places for people of all ages to sit
– Greener spaces where people and nature can grow and flourish
What is available?
The grants are available from £10,000 to £50,000, with the condition that 75% is spent on capital expenditure and 25% on revenue expenditure.
‘Capital expenditure’ is physical things, and their associated costs i.e. a playground and its installation.
‘Revenue expenditure’ is day-to-day running costs of a project, such as room hire or refreshments.
Who can apply?
This programme will only award grants to not-for profit community groups based in England. By not-for-profit community group we mean ‘A group made up of people living in one particular area or focused on a neighbourhood, who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, background, nationality or other circumstances.’ This may include:
– Community groups governed by a written constitution*
– Church based and other faith groups
– ‘Friends of’ groups
– Tenants and residents associations
Is my project eligible?
To be considered for a grant you must be able to answer ‘yes’ to all the following questions:
– Are you a not for profit community group?
– Is your project within a 2 mile radius of a residential area?
– Will your project be open to the public ‘most of the time’? (by this we mean will your project be available free of charge for all or part of at least 6 days per week)
– Does your project meet one of our programme outcomes?
Programme outcomes?
Our programme outcomes are the changes that will happen as a result of our funding. The Community Spaces programme aims to achieve the following outcomes:
– Better local environments
– An increase in people’s access to quality local spaces for interaction, play and recreation
– An increase in people actively involved in developing and running a practical environmental project that is visible in their community
– Improved partnerships between support organisations, communities and authorities
To be considered for a grant your project must meet at least one of these outcomes.
What can we use Community Spaces funding for?
We expect most of our funding to be used for capital expenditure but we will consider some revenue costs (up to 25%) to help get the project up and running. If we award a grant, we expect most projects will be completed in 18 months
or less.
Here are some suggestions of the types of projects that we may support:
– Community Parks
– Informal Sports Areas
– Churchyards
– Ponds
– Nature Reserves
– Housing Landscape
– Increasing access for local people
– Play Areas
– Orchards
– City Farms
– Woodlands
– Community Gardens
These are only examples. If your idea does not appear, it may still be valid.
Here are some examples of projects that we will definitely not fund. There is further information on why we will not fund these types of project on our website www.community-spaces.org.uk
– Projects on school grounds
– Statutory allotments
– Formal sports pitches
– Purchase of land
– Facilities for animals
– Construction or refurbishment of buildings
– Retrospective funding
How will applications be assessed?
When we assess applications we will consider:
– the need for the project
– how you have consulted with your community
– how your project meets our programme outcomes
– whether you can deliver your project
– the sustainability of your project
