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Community support funding

You can apply for a grant of up to £15,000 to support communities with:

  • community building accessibility and safety (e.g. ramps, rails, paths, lights, signage, etc)
  • internal upgrades to community facilities (e.g. equipment upgrades: kitchen, toilets, etc) - to enhance community use)

This grant has been funded by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and supports communities in North Northamptonshire. We have been allocated £100,000 for the 2025/26 funding round.

Applications close on Monday 20 October 2025 at 12 noon.

Refer to our community funding policy and community funding privacy notice for further information:

Community funding policy

PDF237.25 KB

Organisations

The following can apply:

  • parish councils
  • charities
  • community and voluntary groups
  • clubs
  • not-for-profit organisations

School PTAs, 'Friends of' groups and health charities and religious groups can also apply if their projects benefit the wider community and support our aims.

Joint applications between organisations are welcomed as it can help deliver and enhance projects. One organisation needs to apply and take the lead during the application process.

Funding and eligibility

You can apply for a grant of up to £15,000 if you can demonstrate that funding will be used for:

  • community building accessibility and safety (e.g. ramps, rails, paths, lights, signage, etc)
  • internal upgrades to community facilities (e.g. equipment upgrades: kitchen, toilets, etc - to enhance community use)

We can't help fund:

  • organisations that hold more than 12 months unrestricted operating costs within their assets, unless a good reason can be demonstrated
  • activities which are discriminatory, political, or are classed as religious conversion
  • activities where there is statutory funding provision available
  • costs that can be claimed back from elsewhere (e.g. VAT)
  • costs that are not auditable (e.g. cash payments unsupported by an approved financial system)
  • costs towards banking charges or repayment of debt
  • payments made to individual members of the applicant group or organisations that have a personal financial interest
  • retrospective costs (e.g. activities already completed or costs incurred before the agreement of funding)
  • programmes or activities which are considered the core activity of national or regional government, government departments or arms-length body, such as health or education
  • gifts and prizes
  • alcohol
  • employee costs (including salaries)
  • political lobbying
  • staff training or facilitation costs
  • works to facilities that are or should be subject to an insurance claim

You can't apply for additional funding towards existing projects or activities which have been granted funding by us within the last twelve months.

Organisations must:

  • demonstrate value for money in the investment of public funds (environmental, social and economic)
  • identify and quantify beneficiaries and impact of investment
  • consider on-going sustainability
  • ensure the identified funding priorities are met in the application

The following conditions apply for successful applicants:

  • funding awards are paid upon receipt of a signed grant agreement, annex and accompanying documentation
  • your organisation will need to comply in accordance with the provisions of and principles of the Data Protection Act 2018
  • this grant is not transferable between projects or organisations
  • a grant is awarded on the basis of information provided in the application. Should this information be found to be misleading, or the supported project is cancelled, the council will be entitled to be repaid the grant monies
  • applications must be for a non-profit making purpose
  • it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they have all relevant consents and permissions in place (i.e. planning permission, DBS checks, and licenses). A grant award does not give permission to proceed with any work without the correct statutory authorisation
  • successful grants awarded must be spent by the end of February 2026 and must meet and comply with the grant arrangements
  • successful grants awarded must comply with appropriate monitoring systems, including a final report and any relevant documentation such as receipts
  • applications made for funding requests over £25,000 will be rejected

Apply

To apply, you will need your:

  • certificate of public liability insurance in the sum of at least £5 million
  • constitution or governing documentation
  • equality policy
  • year end accounts
  • child protection statement (if applicable)
  • vulnerable adults statement (if applicable)

Once you have applied, we may ask for further information and supporting evidence.

Apply for funding

Next steps

Our grants funding panel, Assistant Director for Communities and Leisure, and our oversight board are responsible for assessing and awarding these grants:

  • the panel can award grants up to £2,500
  • the Assistant Director for Communities and Leisure has delegated responsibility from our Executive Members for awarding grants between £2,500 to £5,000
  • the panel makes recommendations to the oversight board for grants above £5,000. The board will then make the final awarding decision

For successful applications:

  • 50% of the grant payment will be made on receipt of a signed agreement
  • 50% on receipt of evidence of paid invoices

If the organisation does not have enough funds to complete the project, we may be able to make an advance payment which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any queries, please email [email protected].

Last updated 12 September 2025