Deadline: 29-Jul-22
The Forest of Dean District Council is offering grants to not for profit voluntary and community groups – both constituted and non-constituted to help develop stronger and more cohesive communities.
This year the ‘Community grant fund’ will focus on project which are trying to reinstate community activity which was available pre covid and to community projects which respond to Sustainable Community Food.
This approach is aimed at building capacity of the community rather than directly delivering services. Projects should clearly be able to show that there is local value and leadership in them and demonstrate its importance to the community.
Funding Priorities and Criteria
- This year they would like the Community Grants scheme to focus on:
- Projects which support, strengthen and empower communities
- Activities which help to reduce social isolation and improve people’s feelings of wellbeing (all ages)
- Projects which enable and establish inclusive activities (this may also be funding to support an existing activity to become more inclusive)
- Community led activities needing support to enable them to be reinstated post covid 19 lockdowns
- Activities that will enable communities to reduce their carbon emissions and/or address the climate emergency.
- Projects which contribute to Sustainable Community Food
Funding Information
- Total level of funding available in 2022 -23 is £19,800
- Constituted Groups: One off, revenue, grants up to £3,000 are available.
- Non-Constituted Groups: One off, revenue, grants up to £500 are available.
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a not for profit voluntary or registered charitable organisation with a Constitution or set of rules which lay out the aims of the organisation and how it operates and be able to demonstrate how they develop relationships and support networks with the people they are involved with OR
- Be a Community Interest Company OR
- Be a group of people (minimum of three people) who have come together for a specific project/activity and have a plan of action which clearly identifies what they intend to do, how the award would be spent (Maximum claim of £500) and what difference their project/activity will make to their community
- Be committed to building interdependence, connections, self-reliance and resourcefulness in those communities in which they live/work
- Be active in helping all citizens – irrespective of age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, race or creed – to be contributing members of society and to be fully inclusive
- Have a bank account in the name of the organisation and have at least two unrelated signatories to that account OR
- Have the support of a constituted organisation who has agreed to be the banker of your project
- Be an organisation or a group of individuals living or with a local base in the Forest of Dean District and the project must be directly beneficial to the residents of the Forest of Dean
- Be able to demonstrate the extent to which there is a need/demand for their proposed project
- Be able to explain the likely benefits and outcomes in relation to the Community Grant’s specific priorities and criteria, and that of Forest of Dean District Council:
- A great place to live, learn, do business and enjoy
- Improve community wellbeing, supporting and celebrating their distinctiveness
- Protect and enhance the local environment and address the climate emergency
- Demonstrate that the initiative does not duplicate any other existing effective arrangements or projects
- Be able to provide match funding in either money or “in kind” time, In kind time is the number of hours that your volunteers contribute to the development and delivery of your project – see application form for a calculator guide.
- VCS agreement holders (formally SLA) can apply for activities that are not connected or enhance or support VCS agreement activity.
For more information, visit https://fdean.gov.uk/residents/communities/community-grants-funding/