Latest round of community funding is now open

The Local Communities Fund (LCF) 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 apply for a range of grants, worth more than £770,000 in total.  including money which has been earmarked to support new or recently set-up grassroot organisations.

Applications can be made up until 4.30pm on Friday 11 December. The grants available 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 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 said he was delighted that this latest round was underway just weeks after announcing that more than 80 groups will share £1.2 million worth of funding from the previous round. He said:

“Our new-look Local Communities Fund was launched earlier this year. We are now opening up a second round of funding which will give even more groups the chance to apply for grants to help fund the fantastic and tireless work they do, helping enrich the lives of residents and improving community facilities.”

Community groups and voluntary groups up and down the county are already benefiting from previous funding rounds.

This included Sharewear, based in Edwalton, which helps support vulnerable families and residents across the county. The charity is launching a new project ‘make a house a home’ thanks to two-year large revenue grant worth £10,601 each year to help with running and staff costs.

Emily Ashton, Fundraising and Development Manager at Sharewear explains:

“With funding from Nottinghamshire County Council, we are preparing to launch our project to support newly-housed residents with starter packs of essential household textiles and pre loved clothing. As winter bills rise, this project means Sharewear can help people across Nottinghamshire experiencing hardship and struggling with the cost of living to make their new space feel more like a home.”

Grantham Canal Society received £12,700 as part of a previous funding round to create and install 14 individual information boards across locations along a 13 mile stretch of the canal from Trent Lock, near Long Eaton, close to the Derbyshire border, to historic Hickling Bridge, near to the Leicestershire border.

Peter Stubbs, a funding coordinator from the Grantham Canal Society, describes how the recent installation of the new interpretation boards is helping bring the history, heritage and wildlife of the canal to life. He said:

“These new boards help giving visitors a greater understanding and appreciation of this important local waterway. The support from Nottinghamshire County Council has helped us share the canal’s story with a wider audience and improve the experience for local residents, walkers and visitors.

“Our thanks go to the council for its support. We greatly appreciate the difference this funding makes to the work of the Grantham Canal Society and the wider community.”

Council funding worth £10,000 has been previously awarded to Arthur Radford Hall and Sports Ground, located between Fiskerton and Morton, near Southwell, to help replace and upgrade the heating system to help the hall continue to be a warm and welcoming place.

Chairman Leslie Macartney comments how the fund has made a real difference to the community facility, which offers a sports fields, playpark, and a hall fully equipped for special events. He said:

“The Local Communities Fund has made a real difference. The new heating system will not only improve our facilities, we hope it will significantly help save on heating bills too, particularly as we are getting into winter.

“Thanks to Nottinghamshire County Council for this wonderful support.”

Newark Town Council received £20,000 towards an upgrade of Collis Close play area.  Anna Lawson, Deputy Town Clerk said:

"We are  delighted to be successful in applying for grant funding from Nottinghamshire County Council to support our efforts to improve Collis Close Play Park. These funds will allow us to deliver improvements that otherwise would not be possible.

 "The process was straightforward, and we appreciated the County Council's support and communication." 

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