Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The South Cambridgeshire District Council is inviting applications for the Community Chest Grants to voluntary and community sector groups, charities and public sector bodies wishing to further improve quality of life in South Cambridgeshire.
Funding Information
- The maximum award is £2,000 in any single financial year (April-March) and can be for 100% of project costs unless the initiative is on parish council land, in which case a 50% financial contribution from the parish council is expected.
What can be funded?
- The activity or project should be one of the following:
- Improvements to community buildings and spaces (i.e. village halls/pavilions/play areas etc)
- Repairs to Historic Buildings/Monuments/Memorials
- Equipment/Capital Purchase
- Materials
- ‘Start-up’ costs (may include training of staff/volunteers, hall hire and other revenue costs)
- Costs involved with undertaking and creating or refreshing of a Community-Led Plan (resulting projects will only receive funding where they would have been eligible for the Community Chest anyway)
- Regarding cost-of-living projects, examples could include repair cafés where the local community can help in getting household items fixed for free; Timebanking projects (an exchange-based work trading system in which hours are the currency instead of money); lunch clubs (low-cost meals for those in need). Community support initiatives that provide food/ activities/ support services/ educate individuals on reducing food waste and cooking low-cost meals; setting up/running a group or charity where people can obtain free furniture, clothing, food, toys; establishing or building the capacity of food hubs, food banks or community fridges.
- For biodiversity projects:
- The purchase and planting of native trees
- Hedgerows, wildflower meadows or other vegetation in appropriate and suitable locations and their ongoing maintenance
- The construction and erection of bird and bat boxes in suitable locations
- The creation or improvement of wildlife habitats (terrestrial or aquatic)
- The improvement of existing habitat.
What must the project deliver?
- The community activity or project must:
- Meet local need and leave a legacy for the community
- Ensure equality of access
- Help them deliver 1 or more of the following aims:
- Promote healthy and active communities
- Enable inclusive communities
- Develop skills
- Enhance the natural environment/a sustainable increase in local biodiversity
- Deliver community engagement through the creation or refreshing of a Community-led Plan
- Provide a benefit to those affected by the cost-of-living crisis
Funding Condition
- Groups that are awarded a grant will be expected to comply with the following conditions as a minimum:
- Funding must only be used for the agreed purpose and spent within 12 months of the award being made (unless otherwise agreed in writing)
- Any publicity must acknowledge the award provided
- Unused grant must be returned to South Cambridgeshire District Council
- An end of project evaluation must be submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council within 3 months of project completion. Details about this are available on their website
- For biodiversity projects: the project must deliver a sustainable increase in local biodiversity, known as Biodiversity Net Gain. An increase means that you should be able to demonstrate positive change in biodiversity from pre-project conditions (for example, number of trees, number of square metres of land either created or improved). Sustainability means that it should persist over time and not be a temporary change.
- Defibrillators: Only the cost of defibrillators is funded through the Community Chest Grant scheme and the associated accessories and ongoing maintenance/training (the provision of which the Committee will want assurance) will be funded by the applicant.
- Any award will not be means tested but applicants will be expected to have sought other means of local funding, especially from the parish council who may have funds available through planning developments (S106) or through its precept (S137).
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must:
- Either be a non-profit group or organisation (including Community Interest Companies, CIC) based in South Cambridgeshire or benefiting South Cambridgeshire residents, OR be a public sector body with a demonstrable community focus (individuals and businesses are not eligible)
- Be a Parish Council or Parish Meeting with fewer than 160 registered electors Exemption – Parish Councils of any size can apply for funding for costs involved in the creation of a Community-Led Plan (Parish Plan). This does not cover the costs of delivering projects emerging from a Community-led Plan.
- Parish Councils of any size can also apply for biodiversity grants through this fund provided that they are not already in receipt of a grant from the Council’s Zero Carbon Communities grant fund.
- Parish Councils of any size can apply for grants that provide a benefit to those affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
- Have a written constitution or mission statement
- Have an elected committee or representative steering group
- Be able to provide an up to date copy of their accounts and any relevant protection policies.
- If your organisation does not have a written constitution, mission statement and/or relevant protection policies please contact Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service for advice in meeting these requirements.
Please note:
- The Committee reserves the right to supersede this clause should the Parish Council or Parish Meeting show good cause, for example:
- The Parish Council or Parish Meeting have multiple settlements and the application pertains to any one of these which satisfies the 160-elector threshold
- Registered electors are within 10% of the threshold
Ineligible
- On-going revenue costs or overheads (for example, salaries, rent, advertising, promotional materials). Exception: The creation of Community-led Plans (revenue costs associated with the resulting projects will not be funded) and cost-of-living projects (however, revenue costs cannot be used to cover the cost of food).
- Projects that replace funding by other public sector bodies, including parish councils (for example, youth services, highways)
- Projects that have not received the support of all local District Councillor(s) for the ward/s concerned. Please ensure when contacting your local District Councillor(s) that they are all provided with full details of your project or a copy of your application form
- Costs associated with Neighbourhood Watch schemes
- Costs associated with Community Speedwatch schemes or other traffic initiatives
- Items that would only benefit ‘individuals’ and not the group (for example, sports kits)
- Projects that have previously received Community Chest or Zero Carbon Communities grant funding in the same financial year
- Non-native flower tubs
For more information, visit South Cambridgeshire District Council.