HELP AVAILABLE FOR VILLAGE HALL CAPITAL PROJECTS
Help is available for new buildings, capital improvements or major work. Routine repair and maintenance work is not usually eligible for grant aid.
All Councils will expect the Town/Parish Councils to provide help for the project as far as possible. Normally grant aid is only available for work which has not yet been contracted or started.
SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE- Capital Grants Scheme
The council provides grants to voluntary and community organisations to help build thriving communities and improve the quality of life for the residents of South Oxfordshire through projects that; improve economic and community well-being, provides infrastructure that meets local need, that protect and restore our natural world; and take action on the climate emergency. Please click on the link below for deadline dates.
You can apply for a minimum of £1,000 and up to 50 per cent of the cost of capital projects (excluding vehicles). Projects may include but not limited to buying, building or replacing long term assets (buildings, play areas and equipment) or making energy saving improvements for the benefit of South Oxfordshire residents.
The council’s total budget for this round of funding is £320,000, and the maximum you can apply for is £75,000.
Details on their website here: https://www.southoxon.gov.uk/south-oxfordshire-district-council/community-support/grants/capital-grants/
Contact them via email: [email protected]
Or tel:01235 422405
Councilor Community Support Grants
Organisations are invited to apply for grants from £250 up to a maximum of £5,000 from each councillor (budget permitting). For wards with multiple councillors, applications may be considered by all ward members together to determine funding and you can apply to multiple councillors/wards should your project benefit a wider area. Up to 100 per cent of the total cost of a project can be funded and it must be completed within 12 months of the award decision. If your project is for a capital project, the total project cost must be £15,000 or less.
Email: [email protected]
tel:01235 422405
Please look on the website for more details.
VALE OF WHITE HORSE
Climate Action Fund 2023/24 https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-district-council/community-support/grants/climate-action-fund/ -grants from £250 to £5,000 on offer per project to help tackle climate change, with a total of £100,000 available this year.
Projects can focus on areas such as: • The natural environment • Energy • Waste and consumption • Transport and travel.
The White Horse Lottery is a way to raise funds, have a look.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE
Community facilities grant. Max amount £50,000
For community led capital projects for the improvement/enhancement of existing community facilities and the procurement of new facilities/equipment for example for village halls, play areas, sports club equipment.
New details coming soon on the website.
https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/communities-and-leisure/community-grants-and-funding/
CHERWELL DISTRICT COUNCIL
Cherwell District Council Community Infrastructure Capital Grant Fund.
No Capital Grant Funding information on their website at present.
And no news of Community Association Grants at the moment https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/118/communities/793/community-grants
Cherwell Lottery for good causes might be worth exploring.
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/118/communities/629/cherwell-lottery/3
https://www.cherwelllottery.co.uk/good-causes
OXFORD CITY COUNCIL
There is some funding here on Oxford City Councils Website :
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/community-and-living/funding-and-grants
The Foyle Foundation offer grants for capital projects but ask that you apply to them towards the end of your fundraising when you have other successful bids already.
Councillor Priority Fund (Oxfordshire County Council) https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/community-and-living/thriving-communities/councillor-priority-fund Up to £15,000. Can cover village hall refurbishment and purchasing of equipment. Apply all year until Jan 2023
TIMESCALE FOR TAKING UP GRANTS/LOAN
Each authority will have its own time limit for the taking up of grants/loans – usually within 1 or at most 2 years.
VAT
It is possible to make arrangements with the parish council and the grant aiding authority concerned, for grants required for a project planned by and for the benefit of an independent village hall committee to be applied for by and be paid over to their parish council for the parish council to use, contract and pay for a part of the proposed building work on the village hall, (please note CDC do not operate this arrangement). If this is done, the parish council can reclaim the VAT paid on that part of the work. (It should be noted that VAT cannot be reclaimed on work paid for by the parish council if the parish council has not contracted the work or if it uses funds handed over to it by the independent village hall committee including grants applied for by and awarded to the village hall committee – either at the time or after the event.) CFO has produced an information paper on this subject. Copies are available from Tessa Hall.
TOWN/PARISH COUNCILS
Town/Parish Councils have power under Section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to give grants or loans for work at village halls or in support of their annual expenses. There is no limit on the amount that may be given.
The County and District Councils will expect as far as possible to see evidence of Town/Parish Council support for a project.
THE BIG LOTTERY
Fund projects that support people and communities across the UK to Thrive. One of the criteria is to ‘improving the places that matter to communities.’ They want you to involve your community in your project.
They will grant a smaller project from £300 to £10,000 to support what matters to people and communities and also funding for larger projects of £10,000 for small scale refurbishments and equipment. Details here https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding
Details of all their funding programmes https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes
You can check with their advice teams to see if your project is likely to be funded https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/about/contact-us
THE LANDFILL COMMUNITIES FUND (LCF)
The Landfill Communities Fund is a scheme for funding community and environmental projects, predominantly within ten miles of landfill sites.
Since 1996 landfill operators have had to pay tax on every tonne of waste they dispose of, the idea being to encourage everyone to create less waste and to recycle or reuse more. Fortunately, they are allowed to give part of their landfill tax to certain types of good causes.
These funds are managed through distributive environmental bodies within the rules of the scheme http://www.entrust.org.uk/assets/uploads/documents/How_to_find_funding_April_2017.pdf
Third Party Funding
In order to get a grant from any of the following organisations, for each project an independent third party must provide a cash sum to the landfill operator of 10.2% of the grant sought in order to “trigger” funds available through landfill community’s fund. Oxfordshire environmental bodies are listed below:-
FCC Communities Foundation (Previously known as WREN), Have a ‘Community Action Fund’ for England, to support community projects. For buildings within 10 miles of a landfill site.
You can apply for funding of between £2,000 – £100,000 through their Grant Scheme with three deadline dates throughout the year. https://fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk/funds/fcc-community-action-fund
See if you are eligible by completing the pre-application eligibility check https://fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk/apply
Viridor Credits run three funding schemes: Small, Main and Large grants scheme.
Small Grants Scheme
The Small Grants scheme is for Community projects that request up to £20,000.
Main Grants Scheme
The Main Grants scheme is for community, heritage or biodiversity projects that request £20,000-50,000.
Large Grants Scheme
The Large Grants band is for Community, Heritage or Biodiversity projects that request £50,000-250,000.
Viridor Credits support projects which are within 10 miles of a Viridor site (based in Ardley, Oxfordshire). They like to receive applications from groups, organisations and projects that might find it difficult to obtain funding from other grant schemes. In particular they look for projects that provide wide community use and therefore give best value for the funds they have available.
To find out whether you may be eligible for funding please visit website http://www.viridor-credits.co.uk/apply-for-funding/ or telephone 01823 476476
BIFFA AWARD
Grants are awarded to projects that improve community spaces, cultural facilities and places for outdoor recreation. They wish to make sure that everyone has access to high quality local community facilities. Your community space may need improvements in order to increase the range of services on offer to the local community. They support projects which are within 7 miles of a Biffa operation (based in Didcot).
Further guidance and details can be found on website https://www.biffa-award.org/community-buildings/ or by telephone 01636 670000 Email : [email protected]
Please note: Biffaward is unable to fund requests to help an existing facility meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act
DORIS FIELD CHARITABLE TRUST
There is no need to be a registered charity to apply to this Trust for funding with
Trustees usually meeting 2/3 times a year. Grants up to £1,000 have been given to a number of Oxfordshire projects including village halls over the last few years.
Further details and application forms are available from Emily Greig, Blake Morgan LLP, Seacourt Tower, West Way, Oxford OX2 0FB. Tel: 01865 254286 [email protected]
OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION .
Nothing suitable at present but you can sign up for updates on funding here https://oxfordshire.org/ocfgrants/
HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
Green Square Green Square Accord https://www.greensquareaccord.co.uk/communities/community-investment/community-impact-fund/ Can fund equipment to improve the lives of people in your community
email [email protected]
Cottsway Community Fund – Available in West Oxfordshire. The fund provides small grants for starting up projects, for events, development, equipment and materials for community groups which operate within the areas covered by Cottsway. Funding is available of up to £2,500 for projects/groups who meet the eligibility criteria covering one of the following areas:-
Young people and children
Addressing rural problems/priorities
Preventing debt, providing financial advice and reducing poverty
Contribute towards climate change and energy efficiency
For further information call Freephone 0800 876 6366 or visit https://cottsway.co.uk/in-the-community/community-fund/
Sovereign Housing Association
There is funding and skills training available for Sovereign residents wanting to make changes and improvements in their community. The funding will go towards getting a project off the ground and volunteers will be supported with skills training and resources to make a sustainable difference. This could be a lunch club, craft club a stay and play group.
Please contact Community Engagement Officer Jenny Bowley on 07788 977636 or [email protected]
TRUSTHOUSE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.
Community Centres and Village Hall’s in the most deprived urban areas can get salary or running costs as long as they offer a range of activities for all ages.
https://www.trusthousecharitablefoundation.org.uk/about/who-and-what-we-fund
GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION
The Garfield Weston Foundation has supported a wide range of organisations with grants of varying sizes over recent years including village hall projects in Oxfordshire. All applications must be sent by post.
There are no formal deadlines for submitting applications and organisations should allow approximately four months for a final outcome, though acknowledgement letters are sent within four weeks. Please note that once an acknowledgement letter has been sent there is typically no further correspondence until the outcome of the application.
Further guidelines and information required by the Foundation are available on website www.garfieldweston.org
or telephone 020 7399 6565. Incomplete applications may result in delays to the outcome, so please read guidelines carefully.
ASDA FOUNDATION Investing in Places and Spaces Grant.
From £5,000 to £25,000 available to Community Groups,
They say, If you have a project in mind that could benefit from a higher value grant and you meet all the criteria outlined above, you are welcome to contact your local Community Champion to discuss your project. You can use Asda Store Locator to find the details for your local superstore. If the local Community Champion would like to nominate your project, they will be back in touch to complete a Stage 1 Eligibility Questionnaire with you.
There is a limited funding allocation per region, and it is at the discretion of the Community Champion as to whether they put your group/project forward as a nomination for this grant opportunity – a submission of interest is not confirmation of success and funding is not guaranteed.
Find out more here: https://www.asdafoundation.org/how-to-apply
THE MIDCOUNTIES CO-OPERATIVE
The Midcounties Co-operative believes in using its profits for the development of the business, the benefit of the members and to support the community that they trade with.
You can apply for a ‘Local Community Grant’ grants of up to £250 as long as you are based in their trading area and provide a benefit to the local community, they can also provide volunteers for you if you need an extra pair of hands.
There are grants of £2,000 available too at certain times of the year from the ‘Community Funding’ grant.
Individual branches also have community chequebooks which the local manager can use at their discretion to provide the means for purchase of small items by local groups e.g. raffle prizes, refreshments etc.
More details are available on website www.midcounties.coop or phone 01902 405700.
SCREWFIX FOUNDATION
The Screwfix Foundation is offering small grants of up to £5,000 to local charities, including projects that fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities for the benefit of those in need. For more information visit their website. http://www.screwfix.com/jsp/landing.jsp?id=ScrewfixFoundation
BERNARD SUNLEY CHARITABLE TRUST
This trust has been supporting village hall projects around the country but will only assist registered charities. When applying a letter should be included to explain what the charity does, and its objectives, an explanation of the need and purpose of the project, costings, size of grant needed and how much has been raised already and from whom and how it is planned to raise any shortfall. The principal areas of interest of the Foundation is assisting community projects, the disadvantaged and where there is a focus on environmental issues.
To obtain further information of how to apply, contact the Trust at 4th Floor, 20 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6LH Tel 0207 408 2198 or email [email protected]
DHL UK
DHL UK Match it! Fund. To apply you must be a DHL employee working with a voluntary organisation. In Oxfordshire DHL is based on Milton Park in Abingdon
Match it! Fund. https://www.dhlukfoundation.org/apply-for-match-it/#faqs
Oxfordshire CAG -Community Action Groups
Have a special projects grant which is administered by CAG project staff, if you have a CAG group in your community, you may be able to approach them and see if they can support you with a project. They act on issues including waste, transport, food, energy, biodiversity and social justice. The grants that they can get are for under £500 and match funding is needed.
B & Q Foundation
Grants of up to £5,000 to improve community spaces.
https://bqfoundation.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant/
Postcode Society Trust
https://www.postcodesocietytrust.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant
Grants of up to £25,000 for charities and community interest companies (CiCs) ‘responding to the climate emergency’.
Morrisons Foundation
https://www.morrisonsfoundation.com/grant-funding-request/
Grants for projects up to £25,000, for charities only. Project must help the community. Grant cannot part fund a project.
Aviva Climate Fund by Aviva Community Fund https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/about-us
Up to £50,000 for charities or social enterprises to speed up Net Zero carbon actions
Magic Little Grants
https://localgiving.org/magic-little-grants
£500 to charities for climate emergency & promoting sustainability’. Apply once per year.
The National Lottery climate Action Fund.
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/climate-action-fund-energy
Blenheim Green Bank
The Green Community Bursary – available for smaller scale local, community projects to improve sustainability and/or adapt to or mitigate climate change https://www.blenheim.org/community/charity-community-bursary/
THE GOOD EXCHANGE
The Good Exchange is an online community funding website that matches eligible applications for charitable funding with funders, donors and fundraisers who want to support your project.
If you are a UK registered charity or a group seeking to fund a local project, there are several ways you can access sources of funding through funding site. There is a questionnaire at the start of the process to find out if you are a suitable organisation.
You just make a single application for grant funding and The Good Exchange will match you with multiple funders which could potentially back your project. You can also fundraise by attracting donors and fundraisers to support your project, or you can do both.
The Good Exchange will also claim Gift Aid on your behalf and funders have the opportunity to match fund donations to your project.
The Good Exchange will automatically add a 5%+VAT fee to your target amount which will be shown on your project page. The fee is applicable only to funds raised.
Here is a link to their website.
https://thegoodexchange.com/starting-a-project
This service was based locally in Berkshire but it is now building up to being a national funding service.
The National Churches Trust
Will consider halls attached to the church building or as an extension- but not separate halls.
https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/grants/grants-faq
TAX RELIEF ON CHARITABLE GIVING
Gift Aid
If an individual taxpayer or a company gives a lump sum donation of any size to a charity, the charity can reclaim tax from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on its ‘gross equivalent – its value before tax was deducted at the basic rate if a Gift Aid Scheme is used.
For further details and guidance on Gift Aid please visit their website: www.hmrc.gov.uk or by Tel: 0845 3020203 (select option 2)
LOANS:
ACRE- RURAL COMMUNITY BUILDINGS LOAN FUND
The loan fund is operated by ACRE, CFO’s national organisation. Loans are usually available to halls established on charitable trusts for work to provide a new hall or to improve an existing one. The interest rate changes daily and depends on the length of term of the loan. The rate will be fixed at the rate on the day the cheque is issued and will remain for the whole term of the loan. Please contact Tessa Hall: [email protected] if you require further details.
BLENHEIM GREEN LOAN
Zero interest loans of up to £10,000 for any constituted body ie parish or town councils, schools or charities within Oxfordshire
https://www.blenheim.org/community/charity-community-bursary/ Closed at the moment
BIG ENERGY SAVING LOANS
https://www.bigissue.com/invest/big-energy-saving-loans/
Loan finance between £20,000 to £150,000 for social enterprises and charities in England, for energy efficiency and renewable energy installation.
AND DON’T FORGET YOUR VILLAGE COMMUNITY
Keep the village informed of your plans and progress from the outset. Appeal for help “in kind” as well as in donations and attendance at fund raising events. There may be professional expertise, skilled labour or sources of cheap materials you can call on.
PLANNING A VILLAGE HALL BUILDING PROJECT –
CHECKLIST OF POINTS TO CONSIDER
The sources of help for building projects mentioned above are sympathetic to the needs of village hall management committees and will try to help as far as they can. But to be able to consider your application effectively and, if resources are limited, to weigh it up alongside other applications, grant aiding bodies especially will want to see as far as possible efficient forward planning of your project and evidence of the consultation that has taken place in the community which supports your project.
www.communityfirstoxon.org
01865883488
[email protected]