Archives

Scottish and Southern Energy – Resilient Communities Fund

Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD) are offering grants of up to £20,000 to support community resilience projects in their network areas

The fund has been established to support communities to prepare for future emergency weather events and is particularly focussed on projects which help vulnerable or isolated people living in the SSEPD network area.

The fund will support projects that:

  • Protect the welfare of vulnerable customers during a significant power outage or emergency weather event.
  • Enhance community facilities and services specifically to support the local response in the event of a significant power outage or emergency weather event.
  • Improve communication during an emergency situation, to keep communities informed or aid contact between local groups and response services.

Reaching Communities England

Reaching Communities funding is for projects that help people and communities most in need. Grants are available from £10,000, upwards and funding can last for up to 5 years. If you think you need more than £500,000 you must call them before you apply to discuss why you believe a larger project is appropriate. There is no upper limit for total project costs.

They can fund salaries, running costs, a contribution towards core costs and equipment. They also fund up to £100,000 for land, buildings or refurbishment capital costs.

People’s Postcode Trust – Dream Fund

Provided by: People’s Postcode Trust

Funding is available to give organisations in Scotland, England and Wales the chance to deliver the project they have always dreamed of, but never had the opportunity to bring to life. Projects should fall under one of the following categories: community development, environmental protection, health, human rights, sports, and the prevention of poverty, distress and sickness.

Fundraising

There are numerous ways that communities can raise funds from small events which can be labour intensive but can turn around money quickly, for example lotteries, raffles, fairs, street parties, bazaars, afternoon teas, car boots, street fairs, fetes and sponsored events (swims, walks, pub crawls, etc). Large events can be complex to organise but can generate significant amounts of money, including bike rides, fun runs, dinner dances, gala balls and other fundraising events.

Community Foundation

This needs to be led by the local community and aims to benefit the whole community. The grant size is variable but is likely to be less than £10,000.

Charitable Trusts

A Charitable Trust can be established with the specific purpose of dealing with and managing contributions for a particular cause or project. The Trust does not procure funds, but it is a mechanism for obtaining, holding and administering funds. Funds can be collected from the community/general public and is administered and allocated by the Trust. The community members will need to set up the Trust, involving substantial time and commitment. The Trust would then need to raise the funds required and long-term involvement would be needed.

Defra Partnership funding

The amount of funding available varies and is dependent on the amount of Grant-in-Aid (GiA) and the level of contributions from other partners. The application process is lengthy (around 18 months) and requires the Lead Local Flood Authority to submit the bid on behalf of the community with their support.

Although it is possible to achieve 100% funding, it is more likely that a lower proportion of money is achieved. The remaining costs should be met by those who would benefit from the project such as residents and businesses.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

CIL is a levy which local authorities can attach to new developments. The money can be used for infrastructure including flood defences. District councils will need to set up and charge the levy; however they also have responsibility for deciding what infrastructure the levy is spent on. Funds must be spent within the area from which they were raised.

Council Tax precept

Councils can hold a referendum to increase council tax to raise funds. For example, Gloucestershire held a local referendum to allow council tax to be increased to raise funds for investment in additional drainage and maintenance work after the 2007 floods. Cockermouth residents have also agreed to pay an extra levy on their Council Tax over three years to help fund flood defences for the town.

Parish precept can be raised for projects that improve the quality of the area.

Community Interest Company (CIC)

In order to gain funding from a variety of sources you may need to become a Community Interest Company (CIC). The level of community involvement varies, some CICs depend on the input of the community whereas others undertake actions on their behalf.

Case Study Example: A community-led partnership was formed by Bucklebury residents with support from the Environment Agency and West Berkshire Council to deliver a flood alleviation for their village in Berkshire. The villagers set up a CIC after the floods of 2007 to enable them to raise funding and to work towards preventing future flooding. The scheme cost £600,000. £65,000 was raised from residents and £550,000 was provided by Bucklebury Parish Council and the Thames Regional Flood Defence Committee. The flood alleviation scheme included building bunds, digging a bypass channel and developing a new ford to divert flood flows around the village.