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
  • Supporting VCFSE infrastructure development activity

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

Please contact our Stronger Communities team at CI@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 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

How does your support work?

We look at our grants and our support as part of a process.

  • Explore stage: This is the early stage idea where grant/support would assist with community research and consultation, as well as enabling a proposal to be costed for further development
  • Develop stage: Using the research to develop elements of your proposal to deliver a small test or pilot of your idea
  • Test/Pilot stage: Testing the elements you have developed for feedback with a view to improvement or create an evidence base for larger funding streams

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.

The explore stage exists to assist you to develop costed proposals.

Please note, we do not fund:

  • Sports and club kits
  • Holidays/trips
  • Individuals/items for individuals
  • 'Fun day' type events - unless there is a clear community research/consultation purpose

We cannot repeatedly fund the same activity/project if you have previously applied to our Community Development Grants process i.e. past test/pilot stage.

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?

There are no specific limits to our funding amounts or the amount per tranche/stage of our development grants. However, it is advised that you note the following:

At explore stage we have made grants between £600 to £1700 depending upon the extent of research required/complexity of the proposal. Our average grant amount at explore stage is in the region of £900. The largest grant amount we have made following our grant process is in the region of £4500 in total.

We are only able to support a very limited number of larger grants at once.

Why stages/tranches of funding?

We appreciate the challenges posed to our local VCFSEs around demonstrating community need as well as costing proposals, therefore we have staggered our grant making. This means we are also able to better support local organisations to look for larger pots of local funding and/or even external funding.

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 CI@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 advisory group. We try to respond to your application 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 CI@fcho.co.uk.