Ashford Community Amenities Grants

The Community Amenities Grants are aimed at supporting community amenities across the Borough to make improvements to community infrastructure and are made up of two grant streams.

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UK Shared Prosperity Fund Grant (Ashford Urban Area)

A grant of up to £10,000 for an organisation wishing to make improvements to community facilities such as community halls or playgrounds.

Rural England Prosperity Fund Grant (Ashford Rural Area)

A grant of up to £10,000 for an organisation wishing to make improvements to outdoors community facilities such as playing fields or village hall outdoor spaces.

To understand which of the areas you fall into, please consult the Magic Map Application (defra.gov.uk) In the menu on the left hand side please follow 'Administrative Boundaries' and then choose 'Other Administrative Boundaries' and finally choose the 'Rural England Prosperity Fund' option

We will fund projects that meet at least one of the following criteria in both section A and B:

Section A

Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and/or increases bio diversity
Encourages more active and healthier people and communities
Delivers improved facilities for the local community *
Creates opportunities to learn about of participate in local arts, heritage and culture
Provides advice/mentoring for vulnerable people
Creates opportunities for multicultural and/or intergenerational activities

Section B

Increase knowledge and skills
Reduces loneliness and isolation
Improves community engagement
Fostering good relations between communities
Increases personal wellbeing, independence and resilience
Demonstrates value for money

*Community Amenities Grants must meet priority ‘3’ in Section A

Examples of projects that may be considered could include:

Minor repairs and refurbishment of a community hall in the Ashford urban area
Installation of energy efficiency measures in a community space in Ashford urban area
The landscaping and accessibility improvements to external areas of a village hall in rural parts of the borough
Minor repairs or refurbishment of outdoor play equipment in rural areas

Eligibility

To apply, you need to fulfil the following criteria:

Operate in the Ashford Borough and serve the borough’s residents
Are non-political
Have a bank or building society account in the organisation’s name (requiring two unrelated signatories)
Have relevant business insurances in place e.g. public liability insurance, buildings insurance
Have relevant safeguards and policies in place i.e. risk assessments health and safety policy, safeguarding policy
Have effective management/governance arrangements in place
Promote equalities within the structure and operations
Have support for the project from an Ashford Borough Ward Councillor or the Portfolio Holder
Are providing a service(s) project(s) or facilities that are open to any resident in the borough (or have a clear, non-financial justification for targeting or prioritising a client group
Do not have more than 12 months’ worth of expenditure in unrestricted reserves or savings
Have no overdue debts to the council

How to apply

You can apply for a Grant using our online application form until 11:59pm on Sunday 29 October 2023.

You will be taken to a login screen, here you can register if you haven't used the service before or login if already registered.

Please be aware that before you start you will need the following information, some of which you will need to upload directly onto this form.

Detailed information relating to the project and costs
Bank Statements
Annual Accounts (copy of last end year)
Constitution/Trust Deed/Articles of Association (N/A if PC)
Current Insurance Certificate & Schedules
Health & Safety Policy
Risk Assessment(s)
Safeguarding Policy
Fully costed quote for the works or items where Planning Permission is required including recent photos of the facility showing its condition.

Please save your form as you work through it so, if you need to step away from your computer, your form will be saved. You can access your draft form again at anytime by login back into the portal and going to the "draft service requests" section. Once you submit the form, it can be found in the "Service requests" section.

We will give you an in principle funding decision within four weeks of submission of a fully and properly completed application.

We advise applicants to contact ABC to discuss a proposed project before submitting an application.

Fully completed applications will be considered by the Community Grants Panel. Applications will be required to attend the panel. The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on Sunday 29 October 2023.

Applicants will be notified of the decisions of the panel within 2 days of the panel meeting,

You can send in your application by the deadlines stated.

Grant offer

If your application is successful we will send you a grant offer. The grant offer sets out the amount of grant funding approved, purpose of the funding, any additional grant conditions, monitoring and review requirements and the evidence of spend we require.

In signing your grant offer, you accept our standard Terms and Conditions of Funding [docx] 17KB and any additional conditions stated in the offer.

You will also be informed of how you can claim your grant. You have 12 months from the date of the grant offer to claim your grant.