Community development grants

Community development grants and support

We fund and support community projects and action for residents in our Oldham, Rochdale, Middleton, Tameside, Littleborough, Heywood and Kirklees neighbourhoods. To understand where these areas are please visit our Neighbourhoods page and our Developments pages.

Successful funding applications

Our Priorities

We are interested in funding ideas that relate to:

  • Improving streets and spaces
  • Improving natural spaces
  • Creating play and recreation opportunities
  • Creating opportunities for social interaction – combatting loneliness and isolation
  • Improving sense of community identity and belonging
  • Enabling influence and sense of control e.g. community voice
  • Enabling community-led skills and learning
  • Assisting the educationally or economically disadvantaged
  • Recycling and reuse

We may fund other types of projects and/or in other areas.

Please contact our Stronger Communities team at CPI@fcho.co.uk to discuss.

What are your grants most suitable for?

We’re interested in supporting the development of ideas at a small pilot/early testing stage, in relation to the priorities above.

This is to prevent duplication with other local funders, but also to support you with internal expertise from our teams, as part of a potential longer term partnership.

We’re really looking for the following:

  • Innovation in the approach you intend to take/in the idea itself
  • Application of something you have learnt as part of your current/previous activities e.g. what would you have done/do differently?
  • Adapting something for a new audience and/or beneficiary group
  • Establishing community need, community research and consultation activity i.e.: finding things out (this can include events)
  • Neighbourhood asset mapping activity

What can we use the money for?

The grant can be used for almost any purposes to achieve the intended outcomes. Whilst we are not officially pledged to IVAR Flexible Funders/Funders not Auditors practice, we do follow these in principle.

We expect to fund an amount towards overhead costs as part of your activity/delivery.

Please note, we do not fund:

  • Sports and club kits
  • Holidays/trips – we will however fund modest community research visits if it is clear possibility that the lessons will be applied to a project in your neighbourhood
  • Individuals/items for individuals
  • 'Fun day' type events - unless there is a clear community research/consultation or wider purpose e.g. volunteer recruitment

We cannot repeatedly fund the same activity/project if you have previously applied to our Community Development Grants process.

We do not fund existing delivery unless there is clear difference/innovation in approach to be explored through our grant/support.

How much can I apply for and when?

Our grant award range is traditionally between £600 to £4500 and our average grant amount around the £1,400 mark.

In certain exceptional circumstances we are able to ‘match’ contractor social value contribution to our grants to award larger sums than outlined above.

We are only able to support a very limited number of large grants at once as FCHO’s entire Community Development Grants pot totals around £20k.

Who can apply?

Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises (VCFSEs). Your group or organisation must be constituted, have a bank account in its name and have adequate safeguarding and data protection policies in place. If this excludes you from applying, please contact CPI@fcho.co.uk and we can see how we might support you another way.

When can we apply?

We accept applications throughout the year until our funding is spent. However, applications to our grants are by invite/prior consultation only. This is to ensure we are the right funder/fund for your organisation.

When will I hear back?

Once you have applied, your application will be reviewed by our Stronger Communities team. We try to respond to your application with a decision within five weeks.

What are next steps to apply?

If you have read through the above and wish to have an initial chat with our community investment team, please email CPI@fcho.co.uk.