Town Council Funding Guidance

Town or parish councils can provide small amounts of grant funding for local community organisations however they also have a duty to ensure their council is not spending the precept on something which could be funded or part-funded by another means. Whenever possible, all applicants, especially for larger grants or to fund ongoing services, would be well advised to present evidence of research into other sources of funding and the outcome of any other applications with their application to their local council.

I would also suggest that grant applicants should contact local enterprise or community development agencies to access the free advice available on making grant applications and if the activity needing funding is likely to require ongoing funding from the public purse; to consider how that activity can be delivered on a sustainable basis.

To prevent any delay in obtaining a decision, it's a good idea to check with the clerk when your application will be considered by the council and if possible, be available to attend if any questions arise at the council meeting.

It is worth noting that nearly all funders want to know about the impact that their funding has had. It is good practice to describe in the grant application how the outcomes of the funding will be monitored and reported on afterwards. A follow-up report to the council is always appreciated.

The good news is there are potentially thousands of sources for grant funding in Suffolk but the bad news is keeping track of the constantly changing landscape is near impossible for a town or parish council. Many small local funds are best accessed through local community development agencies. The availability of such support services often varies too but these are the resources I could find in Halesworth at present.

Funding

County councillors have a Locality Budget Grant for local projects in their division which benefit the community such as village halls, sports and social clubs and toddler groups.

If you would like to apply for a locality budget grant, please contact the county councillor who represents the area where your project is based.

Hundreds of big and small charitable grants are administered through the Suffolk Community Foundation. For up to date information please visit:

www.suffolkcf.org.uk Telephone 01473 602602

Grants for Waveney, Holton and Halesworth from the Bernard Matthews Fund are administered by the Norfolk Foundation.  Grants are normally made in May and November each year.

www.norfolkfoundation.com Telephone 01603 623958 (Wednesday-Friday)

Halesworth is fortunate to have a Co-operative store and so can apply for cash grants from the Anglia Cooperative Community Foundation as well as for raffle prizes from the store.

www.arcs.co.uk/main_accfapplyraffle.asp

The Halesworth and Blyth Valley Partnership is an independent charity (number 1099489) that exists to promote, support and encourage any charitable purposes for the protection of health and improvement of the social, cultural, economic, educational and environmental well-being of Halesworth and the Blyth Valley area. 

Contact: Mr. Ezra Leverett, Telephone 01986 874551

The organisation Lions Clubs International has a Halesworth branch which makes donations to good causes.  Contact Lions Clubs International District 105EA thorough their website:

www.halesworthlions.org.uk

Green Grants Machine is a website for identifying environmental funding.

www.greengrantsmachine.co.uk

Suffolk Libraries provide online and library terminal access to Grant Finder where a short registration form gives users immediate, free and unrestricted access to a comprehensive national database of funding opportunities.

www.open4community.info/suffolklibraries/Default.aspx

Application Support

The voluntary and community sector support agency Community Action Suffolk is funded by Suffolk County Council to support applicants to access funding from the National Lottery, charitable trusts, local, national and European government under a wide variety of schemes.

Community Action Suffolk can access Grant Finder to conduct funding searches and provide advice and signposting for applicants.

www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk

Telephone 01473 345300

Provided by the United Kingdom Government, businesses and community groups can find a wide range of grant funding and support information at:

www.gov.uk/business-finance-support-finder

Funding Central is a free resource for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises that lists thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and information to support developing a sustainable income strategy.

www.fundingcentral.org.uk

Waveney District Council has a Community Development Team to support community and voluntary groups to develop and seek funding which will help deliver the Sustainable Communities Strategy. There are a number of specialist officers for different groups and objectives. The Funding Manager of the WDC Funding Team has access to Grant Finder and can conduct funding searches.

Email: volgrants@waveney.gov.uk

Telephone 01502 523182 / 01502 523186

Suffolk County Council also receives funding from Central and European government to make grants for community purposes such as economic, sport, leisure, cultural and educational development often in partnership with other agencies. The priorities and availability and pathways to such funding are constantly changing. There are a number of specialist officers and many council staff can support community development in their local area through the council’s Our Place scheme. Ideally your first contact for support from the County Council will be your elected member.

Email ourplace@suffolk.gov.uk