Blaby District Council

Community Grants

Blaby District Council's Community Grants scheme helps community groups, sports clubs, charities and social enterprises improve facilities or run activities that benefit Blaby District residents. One application form covers five grants: Capital Green (eco-friendly projects, up to £5,000, 20% match funding), Large Capital (building work or equipment, up to £5,000, 50% match funding), and Small Capital, Revenue and Everyone Active (health and wellbeing) grants of up to £500 with no match funding. There are four quarterly rounds a year; the next closes at 5pm on 4 December 2026, and organisations are usually funded only once every two years, except for green, Warm Space and cost-of-living projects.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £5,000
Deadline: 47 days left; 4 December
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Voluntary and community sector organisations whose projects benefit Blaby District residents: constituted community groups, youth groups and sports clubs; registered charities; and social enterprises such as Community Interest Companies
PTA/school fundraising groups can apply only for extra-curricular or wider community projects that are not the statutory responsibility of the school, academy or trust
Churches and faith groups can apply only for capital grants for distinct community spaces or halls open to the whole community, or revenue grants for community events and activities open to all irrespective of faith
Food banks are considered only if affiliated with a recognised national network such as the Trussell Trust, an appropriate national body or a Parish Council
Parish and town councils, schools, academies and academy trusts, patient participation groups and individuals cannot apply
Organisations based outside the district can apply if Blaby district residents benefit, but must say how many and what proportion of their service users are Blaby residents
Applicants need a governing document, an equality policy, a safeguarding policy if working with children or adults at risk, and a bank account requiring two unrelated signatories; new groups under a year old do not need formal accounts
Organisations can hold only one grant at a time (previous grant spent and monitoring returned) and are generally funded only once in 24 months, except for Capital Green grants, Warm Space and other urgent cost-of-living projects, and organisations hit by high energy or fuel costs
Large Capital grants need 50% and Capital Green grants 20% match funding (for grants over £500), part of which can be volunteer time

What it funds

Projects that benefit the local community and deliver outcomes in line with at least one of the Council's strategic themes (enabling our communities and supporting our vulnerable residents; enhancing and maintaining our natural and built environment; keeping you safe and healthy), for example projects that:

Support our most vulnerable residents
Empower young people
Provide opportunities for people to participate in physical activity
Improve physical and/or mental health and wellbeing
Reduce isolation or loneliness
Encourage community safety and cohesion
Enhance biodiversity in the district
Reduce carbon emissions
Reduce waste and increase recycling
Enhance leisure/recreation/heritage facilities that encourage visitors to the district
Capital Green Grant (up to £5,000): energy efficiency improvements such as insulation, double-glazing, heating upgrade, LED lighting, solar power; installation of EV charge points or purchase of e-bikes; improvements to open spaces to enhance biodiversity
Large Capital Grant (up to £5,000): purchase of higher value items of equipment, including vehicles; large scale alteration or refurbishment to a community building or space; replacement of integral features such as heating or lighting
Small Capital Grant (up to £500): small items of equipment, 1st year start-up costs, website development
Revenue Grant (up to £500): venue or transport hire, marketing and promotion activities, event or activity costs, support with energy costs
Everyone Active Grant (up to £500): costs to set up a new activity or group, sports equipment, costs to run a specific event or club, specialist tutor/coach fees for a group

Capital Green Grants must contribute to at least one aim of the Council's Climate Change Strategy 2020-2030, and Everyone Active grants to at least one health and wellbeing priority (physical activity, health and wellbeing including mental health, reducing obesity, participation by young adults, inclusion). Under 2026-27 special criteri…

What it will not fund

Projects that have already started or items that have already been purchased
Projects with a total cost of more than £40,000 to deliver
Applications that are contingent on another project/works for which all funding and consents are not already in place
Projects/activities that support one specific political view or that show bias or risk damaging the Council's reputation
Professional fees that must be paid for prior to a project starting or stand-alone (for example, feasibility studies, planning application costs, legal fees)
Activities/projects that are deemed the statutory responsibility of an organisation or for which other funding is made available, for example costs covered by school/academy, NHS or Parish/Town Council budgets
Day to day maintenance or repairs
Applications from Parish/Town Councils or Schools/Academies/Trusts
Applications from, or projects that only benefit, an individual
Applications from Patient Participation Groups
Applications from Food Banks that are not affiliated with a recognised national network, such as the Trussell Trust, or an appropriate national body or a Parish Council

How to apply

Read the Community Grants Guidance Notes and FAQs, and use the Application Questions document to plan your answers; you can talk an idea through with the Funding and Awards Officer (grants@blaby.gov.uk, 0116 272 7566) or, for green grants, the Net Zero Programme Delivery Officer
For Large Capital and Capital Green applications, arrange any site visit at least one week before the deadline
Apply online through the council's My Account (log in to save as you go), with all supporting documents ready to upload; or request an application form and apply by email or post
Submit before 5pm on the round deadline (next: Friday 4 December 2026; then Friday 5 March 2027); you receive a confirmation email with a reference number
The grants panel meets about two weeks after the deadline (16 December 2026 for the December round) and you are told the outcome within a week of the panel
If successful, sign and return the grant agreement; payment is by BACS, usually within two weeks
Start spending within six months and complete the project within 12 months of the award, then return a monitoring form with receipts or invoices and evidence that you acknowledged the council's support

applications are not accepted after the deadline, and your application is considered for every grant type whose criteria it meets. The council is running an online information session on the Capital Green Grant on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 2pm via MS Teams.

Have ready

Your group's governing document (such as a constitution or Articles of Association)
Equality policy/statement (if not included in the governing document)
A statement for each bank or savings account held, showing the organisation's name, account details and balance, dated within three months of the application
The organisation's most recent set of accounts showing all sources of income
Safeguarding policy for children and/or vulnerable adults (if applicable)
Three quotes for any single item or works costing £1,000 or more (if applicable)
Evidence of consents/permissions such as planning permission, advertising consent or landowner consent (if applicable)
Evidence of ownership or a written agreement/lease with at least five years remaining, where the project alters land or buildings (if applicable)

permissions must be secured before you apply, and the council cannot look at an application without the required documents.

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