Apply for a grant to enhance your community facilities
Community grant fund now open
Applications for the Community Grant Fund are now open. Voluntary, community and social enterprise groups, and town and parish councils can apply for a share of £298,000 to fund local capital projects.
How to apply
Applications for 2024/2025 round can be submitted from Monday 10 June at 10am until Friday 19 July at 10am.
You can read the applicant guidance (Word).
You can use this application form (Word) to apply from Monday 10 June at 10am. Please note that we cannot accept applications received after 10am Friday 19 July.
Why apply?
This is a new opportunity to make a lasting difference in your community. This capital grant could help you to deliver projects that:
- support local arts, cultural, heritage and creative activities
- impact volunteering and/or social action projects
- provide capital funding to improve buildings and facilities and build resilience against flooding
- develop green spaces and woodlands within neighbourhoods for recreational and environmental benefit and community wellbeing
How much funding is available?
We are calling for applications from our 2024/2025 allocation which is £298,155 in total. You can apply for between £3,000 to £40,000 of funding. The funding application will be scored, then funds allocated on a competitive basis, based on the quality and feasibility of the proposals, until the fund total is depleted.
Successful applications are required to invest a minimum of 20% of matched funding.
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from a range of Central Bedfordshire organisations, such as:
- registered charities, voluntary, community groups and not for profit organisations with a constitution
- parish or town councils, schools / parent associations (in relation to their wider community role)
- community interest companies / community benefit societies, faith organisations (in relation to their wider community role) and social enterprises
We encourage collaboration and partnership amongst different stakeholders to maximise the impact and sustainability of the projects but do require a single partner to lead an application and hold the agreement.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for impactful capital projects that can transform the community and neighbourhoods in our area. These projects should achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
- an increase in the users of facilities/amenities
- an increase in the number of people who report an improvement to the facility/amenity as a result of the project
- levelling up through the promotion of equality in respect of nine protected characteristics; age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation
This grant scheme is reserved for capital expenditure only, which means acquiring, building, upgrading or purchasing equipment or tangible assets that support your projects. Please note: This grant cannot be used for operational or maintenance costs.
Fore more information email ukspf@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Meet the Funder sessions
We hosted two Meet the Funder workshops which were supported by Community Voluntary Service, to give top tips and application form insight, in May to help community groups understand the grant process and provide support with the completion of the application forms.
The sessions covered.
- overview of UK Shared Prosperity (UKSPF) and the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF)
- UKSPF and REPF investment themes and objectives of the fund
- types of projects are eligible and who can apply
- timetable
- how to apply
- how will your application be assessed?
- what we will need from you
- support available.
You can listen to the recorded sessions from 30 May via this video.