GrantRadar

Gloucestershire County Council

Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund

A county-councillor-led grant scheme from Gloucestershire County Council, run by Public Health, for community initiatives that improve physical or mental health and wellbeing, build resilient communities and tackle health inequalities. Grants run from £250 to £5,000, and each application must be endorsed by the county councillor for the area. Each electoral division has £20,000 in total across 2025/26 and 2026/27, so money in a division can run out before the closing dates. Pre-applications close 15 January 2027 and full applications close 15 March 2027.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£250 – £5,000
Deadline
89 days left
15 January
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Grassroots community organisations whose initiative is in Gloucestershire or primarily benefits a Gloucestershire community: community or voluntary groups, registered charities, community interest companies, town and parish councils, sports groups and associations, schools and academies, and patient-led groups
  • Religious groups can apply where the initiative brings wider community benefit and its primary purpose is not religious
  • Organisations based outside Gloucestershire can apply if the funding will primarily benefit a Gloucestershire community
  • Applications must be endorsed by the relevant county councillor
  • Payment goes only into a bank account held by the applying organisation with at least two signatories
  • Applicants must be financially viable, have clear financial controls and produce annual accounts; first-year groups without accounts may still be funded
  • Applicants must explain how the initiative will become self-sustaining once the funding ends

What it funds

Community initiatives that make a positive impact on health and wellbeing and local communities. Every project must directly benefit physical or mental wellbeing and align with Public Health principles. Examples:

  • Friends-of-parks initiatives that encourage volunteering or safer parks
  • Community hub activities
  • Canal towpath improvements that encourage access to nature
  • Lunch clubs that support nutrition and reduce isolation
  • Creating cycleways for active travel
  • Recruiting digital champions to reduce digital exclusion
  • Healthy food projects
  • One-off events and celebrations
  • Improvements to community buildings such as village halls or sports clubs
  • Nature initiatives such as growing or biodiversity projects

Retrospective costs can be considered with evidence (invoices/bank statement) and councillor support.

Two or more councillors can make a joint proposal, but one application cannot exceed £5,000.

What it will not fund

  • Sole traders
  • Gloucestershire County Council departments
  • District councils
  • NHS organisations
  • For-profit organisations
  • Funding for an individual
  • Overseas travel
  • Road improvements
  • Political campaigns or activities
  • Clinical health interventions
  • Activities that may be harmful to health and wellbeing
  • Religious groups' activities whose primary purpose is religious

Any other funding needed must be secured before the grant is released, and costs incurred before written approval are not guaranteed to be reimbursed

How to apply

  1. Find your county councillor (https://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx) and discuss your project and how much funding you are seeking
  2. If the councillor supports it and confirms the amount they will endorse, complete the online pre-application form; this automatically asks the councillor to confirm their endorsement
  3. Once the councillor endorses it, you receive an email link to the full application form; complete and submit it (the form does not save progress until you click submit)
  4. The Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund project team runs eligibility checks and due diligence; applications are assessed in the order received
  5. The Director of Public Health makes the final decision, and the project team tells you the outcome by email
  6. If funded, acknowledge the council using its logo on public material (and your website home page), and take part in monitoring and evaluation

If two or more councillors will endorse the project, do not use the pre-application form; email GNF@gloucestershire.gov.uk instead

If your councillor does not support the project, you may approach other county councillors whose divisions directly benefit

Deadlines: pre-applications by 15 January 2027; councillor endorsements by 1 February 2027; full applications by 15 March 2027

Endorsement by a councillor is not approval of funding

Have ready

  • Online pre-application form
  • Full online application form (organisation and project details, legal status and charity/company number, Ofsted URN if applicable, amount and costs, outcomes and sustainability, accessibility, any land or building alterations and consents, dates, and other funding raised)
  • Annual accounts or management-approved accounts (may be requested)
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures (may be requested)
  • Invoices and/or bank statements as evidence, for retrospective applications

After an award, quotations, invoices and receipts may be requested, and records must be kept for six years

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