It’s not too late to apply for a share of £1.2 million worth of community-boosting funding

The new-look Local Communities Fund is all part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s continued commitment to encourage healthy and sustainable communities by financially supporting community groups and charities via a two-year programme (2026-28)

Eligible community groups can still apply for a range of grants, including a new pot of money aimed at supporting new or recently set-up grassroot organisations.

These grants are:

• Small revenue grants of up to £5,000 to help towards vital running costs such as energy bills and staff costs.

• Capital grants of up to £20,000. These are designed to support improvements to local facilities which have match-funding.

• A one-off foundation grant is targeted at new or recently set up organisations. These groups can apply for up to £1,000 to help them get more established.

• A building financial resilience grant of up to £5,000 aimed at projects that address the root causes of financial crisis and help people build longer-term financial resilience, as part of a new government funding package.

Councillor Jody Stoll, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health reminded groups that there was still time to apply for grants. He said: 

““We hope there’s a fund to suit all groups, and rest assured when an eligible community or voluntary group successfully applies for this funding, we’ll assess behind the scenes which pot of money is best suited.”   

Community groups up and down the county are already benefiting from previous funding rounds. One charity is the Helpful Bureau, based in Stapleford which helps people to live safely and independently at home, offering day trips and activities, a befriending service and a community transport scheme to help reduce isolation and loneliness in for those living in the Broxtowe area.

A LCF grant of £13,240 went towards the recent purchase of a new accessible minibus (pictured). This minibus has easy access steps and a tail lift for wheelchair users.

Charity manager Alison Mcguire said:

“The new minibus will open the opportunity for more of our community to enjoy our day trips and activities.

“A big shout out to our staff, volunteers, clients and trustees for their unwavering passion and commitment that helps our small charity deliver such special impact.

“A huge thank you to our minibus funders and the public that made our minibus purchase possible, which includes the Local Communities Fund.”

Sutton Cum Lound Village Hall, based near Retford, were also successful in a previous round of capital funding, receiving £6,428 of match funding towards building an undercover seating area at the village hall and purchasing new outdoor furniture.

Paula Graham, a trustee. said that the funding has helped them transform the village hall into an even more welcoming place. She said:

"Our village hall is at the heart of our community and this upgrade, thanks to the Local Community Fund and other funding, has really helped make it an even better community hub for people of all ages.”

She added, " Anyone in the area who can spare a few hours a week to volunteer at the village hall to help out we'd love to hear from you. Contact us by emailing suttonloundvillagehall@gmail.com"

Zephyr's is a charity which supports local families following pregnancy loss, or the death of a baby or child. It previously received a small revenue grant worth £3,500 to support a project called ‘Into the woods’.

Carly Williams is founder and CEO of Zephyr's, the charity she set up with partner Martin in memory of their son Zephyr. Carly said:

"Into the woods is a monthly forest school event in Tollerton for children who have experienced the death of a sibling, and their families. We are so grateful for the Local Communities Fund grant which has helped to sustain this important project for 12 months. It is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing and mental health of bereaved children and families; helping them understand, experience and express emotion and grief, whilst having the freedom for play in nature."

The revised Local Communities Fund will be a two-year programme to help plan for local government reorganisation. The improvements to the fund include: 

• To help those organisations that have previously been unable to meet the funding criteria, a new foundation grant will be available for new or recently set-up groups to help them get established and help position them for more funding opportunities in the near future. This is in addition to getting general support from the council’s communities’ team.

• To speed up the application process for capital grants, groups will be able to apply without having their match-funding finalised but will need to provide evidence if and when they are successful in their application.

• To free up more funding towards projects which offer community resilience, the Local Communities Fund will no longer fund projects such as village or gateway signs.  

For more details on the Local Communities Fund and how community groups can apply, go to: The Local Communities Fund (LCF) | Nottinghamshire County Council