GrantRadar

Wigan Council

Tenant Together Fund

Wigan Council's housing service offers grants of up to £2,000 for community projects and ideas that benefit its council-housing neighbourhoods. A tenant-led funding panel chooses the awards. Local constituted groups, tenant and resident associations and community champions can apply, as can council officers or partner organisations whose project has community backing. Groups can apply up to three times in each financial year (1 April to 31 March).

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £2,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Local constituted community groups, tenant and resident associations, and individual community champions
  • Groups must be locally led, meaning managed by people who live in the area where the activities take place, or they must have proof of community support
  • Wigan Council officers and partnership organisations can also apply if they can show the project has community support
  • Groups must have a bank account in the group's name with at least two unrelated signatories
  • Individuals have to link in with a local group that will hold the funds, because the council will not pay into a personal bank account
  • Projects must benefit Wigan Council housing neighbourhoods
  • Tenant and resident groups or associations must be within the eligible areas shown on the council's borough-wide map of wards with council estates
  • Applicants can apply up to three times per financial year

What it funds

Projects and ideas that benefit Wigan Council's housing neighbourhoods and meet at least one of four themes:

  • Helping to build happy, resilient and safe communities by bringing people together
  • Improving the places and spaces that matter most to the community
  • Raising aspirations and creating opportunities through volunteering, training and improving digital skills
  • Increasing Tenant Voice in shaping and improving services and neighbourhoods

The council's own list, which it says is not exhaustive, covers: room hire for training, community events and meetings; training courses related to one of the themes; staff costs for sessional training; community events and fun days about community spirit, tenant voice and similar; equipment for projects; resources and promotional material; refreshments up to £5 per person; and reasonable transport costs.

Match funding is welcome but not required; volunteer time and support is valued more.

What it will not fund

  • Trips and excursions
  • Staff costs (other than sessional training staff)
  • Alcohol
  • Gifts
  • Projects that have already taken place
  • Religious or political activities
  • Project planning and consultant fees
  • Contingency plans, loans etc
  • Projects that only benefit an individual
  • Tenant and resident group running costs (use the start-up/annual grant fund instead)

How to apply

  1. Speak to a Tenant Voice and Engagement Officer about your project or event before applying (recommended; contact form at https://forms.wigan.gov.uk/xfp/form/640)
  2. Prepare your answers: which neighbourhood(s) will benefit, project details, evidence of community support, and an itemised cost
  3. Complete the online application form (https://forms.wigan.gov.uk/xfp/form/511), uploading a recent bank statement and your constitution or terms of reference if this is your first application this year
  4. Officers check the application against the themes and criteria, and Tenant Voice officers comment on it
  5. The virtual Tenant Funding Panel decides whether to fund the application in full or in part, decline it, or ask you to rework it
  6. If successful, show your constitution and bank account before funds are released
  7. After the activity, complete a simple evaluation document and keep all receipts (10% of projects are randomly audited)

Each form page times out after 25 minutes, so draft your text first and paste it in.

Applications can be declined once the year's funding has been spent.

Have ready

  • Bank statement for the group from the last 3 months
  • Constitution or terms of reference document
  • Itemised project costs

The documents are uploaded with your first application of the year, and the constitution and bank account must be shown before funds are awarded. Receipts must be kept for audit.

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