Chesterfield community groups urged to apply for grant funding

Community groups and voluntary organisations are reminded to check if they are eligible for grant funding from a scheme designed to help boost grassroots projects.

Over £59,900 of funding has already been allocated to organisations across the borough as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s Community Grants Fund – and applications are still open, giving even more eligible groups the chance to apply.

With grants ranging from £500 to £6,000, the Community Grants Fund scheme aims to support local projects that will help to build resilient, healthy, and safe neighbourhoods, as well as initiatives which will help reduce the borough’s impact on the climate and wider environment by promoting greener choices.

Funding can also be used to develop volunteering opportunities, help people prepare to get in to work, and to support organisations to expand their reach into different areas of the borough.

Further information can be found at: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/community-grants-fund

The scheme is already helping to fund 16 projects across the borough – ranging from funding new equipment, setting up new community groups, refurbishing community hubs, helping deliver programmes to help develop skills and employability, providing volunteering opportunities, and running workshops to help with mental health issues.

The deadline for community groups and voluntary organisations to submit an application is Friday 27 October.

Alongside the Community Grants Fund, the council is also running a community development project which will provide support to organisations wishing to apply for a grant.

Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, Councillor Tricia Gilby, said: “We are really pleased to have secured this funding – it will support the delivery of important projects across the borough. We’ve already been able to provide 16 groups with funding since we launched the scheme earlier this year and are looking forward to watching those projects progress.

“I strongly urge other groups in our community to check if they are eligible and get their application in before the deadline so that we can make sure our communities continue to thrive.

“If you are unsure if you are eligible or would some support and guidence with submitting a bid, you can talk to our team who will be more than happy to help. You can contact them by emailing communitygrants@chesterfield.gov.uk or calling 01246 959657.”

Funding for the grants scheme has been successfully secured from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), together with money raised through the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Portion (CIL).

The community grants are just one initiative which is benefiting from funding through the UKSPF, after the council was successful in securing £2.6m from the Government. It will fund initiatives up to April 2025, which are designed to improve life for local people and support local businesses.