Deadline: 11-Oct-22
The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 over two years, for projects that will create a long-term difference in rural communities across the UK.
The Prince’s Countryside Fund remains one of very few funders focused on rural communities across the UK, and their experience shows that, by working with local organisations, they can help to address the challenges faced by those who live and work in rural areas.
Aims
- Successful projects will achieve one or more of the following programme aims:
- Support people to resolve existing and emerging community issues, circumstances, and priorities in their locality
- Build rural community resilience
- Develop innovative and replicable projects
- Enable leadership and community planning
- Improve the economic or social resilience of a rural community
- Reduce isolation for people living in rural areas through improving service provision
- Create a self-sufficient rural community fit for the future.
Funding Information
- Applications for grants of up to £25,000 over two years.
- Applicants must be from properly constituted, not for profit organisations with an income of less than £500,000.
Outcomes
- The outcomes PCF seek to achieve through their grant programme include:
- Reinvigorating or developing community networks
- Improving the health and well-being of socially isolated people
- Creating a legacy of support and promoting community spirit and cohesion
- Communities supporting one another through volunteering opportunities
- Promoting a greener economy by encouraging people to travel less and utilise locally grown and crafted products.
- Rural Communities are more resilient
- Successful community-led solutions
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are encouraged from properly constituted, not-for-profit and community-led organisations with a turnover under £500,000 per year, that can demonstrate how beneficiaries will be drawn directly from the local rural community.
- PCF is only able to fund up to 15% of grant applications made to us in each funding round. They recognise that their strength lies in funding specific projects in rural areas for which they have the specialist knowledge and understanding to make informed funding decisions.
- They are open to applications from across the UK and particularly encourage applications from Wales and Northern Ireland. However, they accept applications from all parts of the UK and applications will be assessed on their own merit.
- Types of organisation that they are unable to fund. These include (but are not limited to):
- Care Farms or similar projects where the beneficiaries are drawn from a larger area than just the local community.
- Local Authorities, including Town and Parish Councils.
- Hospitals and Schools.
- Private companies and individuals.
- Youth clubs.
- Projects where there may be other more appropriate funders. For example, those dealing with domestic violence, dementia or elderly care, and migration.
- Please note that there are some things they cannot fund (this is not an exhaustive list):
- Purchase of buildings or land.
- Planning permission/ building regulations.
- Building projects where planning permission is not yet in place.
- Projects taking place in a location where the purchase/ rent agreement is not complete.
- Statutory requirements.
- Technical energy projects where a specialist funder might be more appropriate.
- Projects where their contribution makes up less than 10% of the total cost of the project.
- Projects that aim to promote a religion.
- The purchase of food.
- Working capital.
- Loans.
While they can consider applications for village hall and other community asset renovation projects, you will need to clearly demonstrate why this project is needed; that there is no similar provision provided by other assets in your community; and that there is demand from the local community to have this work done. The evidence required here must be from the wider community, not just from the applicant themselves.
For more information, visit https://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/how-we-help/rural-communities/supporting-rural-communities/