FUNDING OF PARKS: Six places to start your search for grant funding

Posted on 15th June 2019

An area which is often very beneficial to parks and green spaces is grant funding. Here we outline six places to start your search.

Already this week our Summer of Parks focus on funding of parks has heard five top tips for crowdfunding from Ian Goodman of MyPark Scotland as well as stories from today and yesteryear of community fundraising efforts which have made a different in their communities. As Joanna Kirk, Clerk to Stradishall Parish Council, discussed in yesterday’s spotlight, however, it is often advisable to pursue as many avenues as possible when seeking funding.

An area which is often very beneficial to parks and green spaces is grant funding. Here we outline six places to start your search if you are looking to apply for grant funding.

(1) Bags of Help

Administered by Groundwork, the Bags of Help scheme has been running since 2016 distributing monies raised through Tesco's carrier bag charges to community projects across Great Britain. Grants of up to £4,000 are available each month and are voted for by customers in local Tesco stores. Due to the volume of applications the scheme has been temporarily closed to new applicants, but you can sign-up to hear when it re-opens along with a new scheme to celebrate Tesco’s centenary year. Find out more and apply.

(2) Carriers for Causes

Working on the same basis as Bags of Help, Carriers for Causes is the fund distributing monies raised through carrier bag charges at One Stop Shop locations throughout the country. Also administered by Groundwork, grants of up to £1,000 are available for community projects and are awarded on a quarterly basis. Find out more and apply.

(3) FCC Communities Foundation

Local landfill companies are always worth checking as many contribute to funding programmes in return for claiming credit against their landfill tax liability. Once such scheme, formerly known as WREN and now FCC Communities Foundation operates in England and Scotland offering grants from £2,000 up to £100,000 in England and £40,000 in Scotland. You do need to be located within ten miles of an eligible facility in order to be eligible to apply, however. Find out more and apply.

(4) National Lottery Heritage Fund

Formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund, they fund projects which connect people and communities to local, regional and national heritage across the country. This could include nature, natural and designed landscapes, historic environments and more. A large range of funding amounts and timeframes are available. Find out more and apply.

(5) Awards for All

Also from the National Lottery but focussed on communities, the Awards for All scheme offers grants ranging from £300 to £10,000 across the UK. Grants can be used towards projects that "shape the places and spaces that matter to communities" as well as bringing people together. Find out more and apply.

(6) Fields in Trust membership

We work hard to leverage funding to support spaces protected with ourselves, but don't currently have any general grant programmes open unfortunately. You can, however, take advantage of discounts with leading play manufacturers through our Friends of Fields in Trust membership scheme. These can often provide a discount of greater than the cost of membership so are well worth checking to see if a manufacturer you’re considering using is on the list. Find out more.

Finally, if you have Fields in Trust protected status don't forget to mention this on any funding application you are making. The protecting in perpetuity gives the funder confidence that the project they are supporting will last well into the future!