Deadline: 03-Sep-2024
Are you working to boost the community spirit in your neighbourhood? Do you have ideas for creating a community garden, starting an arts festival, tackling loneliness amongst old people, boosting health and fitness or cleaning up the streets where you live? If so, you could qualify for a grant from the Communities Together programme.
Funding Information
- Applicants can apply for up to £5,000, for projects costing no more than £20,000 per year (i.e. HCT funding may be a contribution to the total cost of the project, provided the total cost is no more than £20,000 per year).
- Awards are made over a single-stage process. Grants of £4,999 or less are available for one year only. Grants of £5,000 per year for up to two years are available through this programme.
Who can apply?
- The application process is open to local authorities, schools, charities, community groups, social enterprises and not for profit companies subject to the specific eligibility criteria below. Community groups could be a youth club, residents’ association, charity, or even a group of like-minded neighbours. Groups should have a constitution and a bank account in the name of their organisation. For new or less formal groups, you may need to work in partnership with another organisation that could hold the funds for you and provide other guidance and support.
- They won’t fund projects in schools or colleges to deliver core curriculum or statutory requirements but will consider projects which provide a facility or service to benefit the wider non-school community, or where the work is clearly outside of the curriculum/ statutory requirements. The school/college must additionally be contributing a minimum of 10% of the total cost of the project.
- They will consider projects run by local authorities only where they are working in partnership with local voluntary and community organisations, as long as it is activity outside that which they are statutorily required to provide, and which would not otherwise be possible. Matched funding must be demonstrated. Local authorities should also show clearly how they’re engaging the local community and community or voluntary groups with relevant expertise.
- If applying on behalf of a Food Bank, Baby Bank or other similar organisation, please note they seek to fund projects designed to improve the long-term sustainability of the organisation rather than simply funding donations. Projects of this nature might include the purchase and fitting of new shelving or storage, or development of a communications and marketing campaign designed to increase the number of volunteers or donations.
- They will consider non-religious projects run by faith groups only if they are accessible to all religions and benefit the wider community or clearly show how they’ll increase community cohesion.
- They will consider projects run by particular ethnic community groups only if they are accessible to all ethnic groups and benefit the wider community or clearly show how they’ll increase community cohesion.
- Heathrow Community Trust will support Heathrow employees participating in a sponsored fundraising event or other fundraising activity with a matched fund donation of 50% of the funds raised by the individual, to a total value of £250. You can apply for funds under the scheme up to three times a year, whether as an applicant or as part of a group. They recommend that you submit your application after you have completed your fundraising.
For more information, visit Heathrow Community Trust.