Tesco’s new grant scheme Bags of Help allows communities to bid for up to £12,000 in community funds, to be used towards environmental improvement projects. This project is being administered by Groundworks together with Tesco.
The grant will fund capital projects that provide community benefit and where there is no charge to access. Projects that would typically receive funding include:
. Parks, pocket parks and urban green spaces
. Green corridors – river and canals, cycle ways
. Formal and informal play areas
. Open access sports facilities within public parks and recreation grounds
. Informal outdoor recreation facilities; e.g. gym equipment, woodland walks
. Nature reserves, community woodland, ponds and village greens
. Churchyards
. Seafront improvements
. Community allotments, community gardens, orchards and city farms
. Spaces in the grounds of hospices and day centres
. Allotments
. School grounds
. Community spaces on housing estates or residential areas
There’s no match funding requirement to access this grant, but the grant should be the majority of the funding required for the project, which could be a stand-alone project or a discrete, self-contained part of a larger project or part of a phased project and will need to be delivered within twelve months of receipt of the grant. Landowner’s permission is essential and some projects might also need planning permission.
Once all the bids are in and have been shortlisted by Groundwork and Tesco to the final three projects in each area, Tesco customers will get the chance to vote in local stores for which of the three finalists will receive either £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000. So projects in the final three are guaranteed some money! You can read more about the grant programme on Groundwork’s website http://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tescocommunityscheme
The next funding round will open for applications in April! If you have any questions or want further advice on developing project ideas, contact Ben the Community Enabler for Sussex and Surrey.
Mob: 07736132698
Email: Ben.Smitton@groundwork.org.uk
www.south.groundwork.org.uk