Call for Applications: Community Projects Fund (United Kingdom)

Deadline: 31-Dec-26

The Fylde Community Projects Fund invites applications from voluntary, community, and self-help groups based in or serving the Fylde Borough for grants to support local projects that improve services, facilities, and community life. The fund is designed to empower local groups and organisations to access resources that enhance the quality of life for residents across the Fylde Borough. Supported projects should address local needs and contribute to the Council’s wider priorities for the community. The Fylde Community Projects Fund supports voluntary, community, and faith groups that contribute to improving the quality of life of people living in the Fylde Borough. The fund aims to help local groups access resources that can improve community services, facilities, activities, and opportunities. Projects should demonstrate a clear local need and contribute to one or more objectives within the Council’s Corporate Plan. Eligible projects must align with one or more objectives from the Council’s Corporate Plan.

These objectives include:

Projects should demonstrate how their activities contribute to one or more of these wider community priorities. The fund can support a variety of local community initiatives.

Examples include projects that:

The fund is intended to support projects that provide a clear benefit to communities in the Fylde Borough. The Fylde Community Projects Fund provides grants through two funding streams: In-kind contributions can be considered when calculating match funding for eligible projects. The two streams provide options for groups seeking either smaller amounts of support or larger funding contributions for community projects. Groups can apply for grants ranging from £1 to £300 through the non-match funded stream. This stream is intended to provide smaller-scale financial support for eligible local projects. The indicative annual allocation for smaller grants is £5,500. The match funded stream provides grants ranging from £300 to £2,000. Applicants can provide eligible matching contributions, including in-kind contributions where these are considered acceptable for match funding purposes. The indicative annual allocation for the larger match funded grants is £16,500. The fund has indicative annual allocations across its two streams.

The allocations are:

These allocations provide funding for community projects supporting residents and communities across the Fylde Borough. The fund is open to eligible voluntary, community, and self-help groups.

Applicants must either:

The fund also supports eligible community and faith groups whose activities contribute to improving the quality of life of Fylde residents, subject to the stated eligibility restrictions. Projects must demonstrate a clear need for the proposed activity. The project should provide a benefit to residents or communities within the Fylde Borough and should align with one or more relevant objectives from the Council’s Corporate Plan. Projects must also comply with the fund’s duration requirements. Funded projects must not last for more than six months from receipt of the grant. Applicants should therefore ensure that their proposed activities can be completed within this six-month period. In-kind contributions may be considered when calculating match funding. This can allow eligible groups to demonstrate their contribution to a project through appropriate non-cash resources, where accepted under the fund’s requirements. Applicants seeking match funding should clearly identify their proposed contribution and how it supports the project. Certain applicants and activities are excluded from the fund. Ineligible applicants and activities include: Applicants should ensure that both their organisation and proposed project meet the fund’s eligibility requirements before applying. The fund does not support political or religious activities. While eligible community and faith groups may otherwise be able to benefit from the fund, the specific activity being funded must comply with the fund’s restrictions. Projects that result in personal gain are not eligible. The fund is intended to provide community benefit rather than financial or personal benefit to individuals. The fund does not support ongoing revenue costs. Applicants should therefore focus their requests on eligible project activities that can be delivered within the six-month project period. Only one application per group or project is permitted each year. Groups should therefore identify their priority project and ensure that their application provides a clear explanation of the proposed activities, local need, and expected community benefits. Applicants should clearly explain the local need for their project and demonstrate how it will benefit the Fylde community.

A strong application should include:

Local voluntary, community, and self-help groups can play an important role in improving services, facilities, opportunities, and quality of life for residents. However, smaller community organisations may have limited access to resources for delivering local initiatives. The Fylde Community Projects Fund provides targeted support for projects that address local needs and contribute to a clean, welcoming, healthy, safe, and caring community. By offering both smaller non-match grants and larger match funded grants, the fund gives eligible groups different options for developing community projects. The Fylde Community Projects Fund provides grants to voluntary, community, and self-help groups based in or serving the Fylde Borough to support projects that improve local services, facilities, and community life. Grants range from £1 to £300 through the non-match funded stream and from £300 to £2,000 through the match funded stream. Yes. In-kind contributions can be considered for match funding. The indicative annual allocation for the smaller, non-match funded grants is £5,500. The indicative annual allocation for the larger, match funded grants is