GrantRadar

FCC Communities Foundation

FCC Community Action Fund

Landfill Communities Fund grants of £10,000 to £100,000 from FCC Communities Foundation (funded by FCC Environment) for capital improvements to public amenities such as village halls, community centres, play areas, sports facilities, parks and nature reserves, or for biodiversity conservation, sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste site in England. The total project cost must not exceed £250,000, and applicants must find a Contributing Third Party to pay 10.75% of the grant. The current round (2026-4) closes at 5pm on 18 November 2026.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£10,000 – £100,000
Deadline
31 days left
18 November
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Registered charities; churches or parochial church councils; parish or town councils (and management committees or user associations acting for them); local authorities; and CASC-registered sports clubs
  • The project must be in England, within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility (check with the online eligibility/distance checker), at a single site open to the public, and the applicant must own the site or hold a signed lease or management agreement with at least five years left
  • Projects in Herefordshire or Worcestershire near a Severn Waste Services site should apply to the separate SWS Community Action Fund instead
  • Previous grantees must wait 12 months from their completion report before applying again for the same site
  • No new applications are accepted in Scotland

What it funds

  • Projects eligible under Object D (improvements to a public park or other public amenity - repairs, refurbishment, access improvements, landscaping, e.g. new windows or doors for a village hall, play equipment, footpaths or cycleways in a park, an all-weather MUGA surface, a skate park, a dipping platform) or Object DA (physical works to provide, restore or enhance natural habitats or species, e.g. grazing marsh fencing, reedbed water control, woodland management) of the Landfill Communities Fund
  • Eligible sites, which must be open and accessible to the public:
  • Village halls and community centres
  • Public play areas
  • MUGAs
  • Skate parks and BMX tracks
  • Sports clubs and recreation grounds with full public access
  • Church community spaces available for public hire
  • Nature reserves
  • Public gardens, parks, country parks and woodlands (at least dawn-to-dusk access)
  • Museums

Costs covered: contractors, materials, capital items and small items of equipment used to deliver the work.

Internal fittings in a new building or substantial extension may be funded only if the full build cost is secured and the total stays within £250,000; build costs of small non-substantial extensions (porches, reconfigured toilets/kitchens, storage) may be considered.

Renewable energy and recycled materials are encouraged.

What it will not fund

  • Projects that have already started
  • Routine maintenance, management or running costs
  • Contingency allowances
  • Purchase of land
  • Staff salaries, training or travel
  • Purchase, lease or repair of vehicles
  • Charity buildings not primarily used for public community access
  • Projects in schools or on school grounds
  • Projects at pre-schools, nurseries, colleges or universities
  • Projects in hospitals, hospices, day centres, therapy centres, residential homes or sheltered accommodation
  • Allotments
  • Car parks
  • Leisure centres, swimming pools or sports facilities owned and managed by a local authority
  • Public highways, roads, pavements beside highways or roundabouts (recreational footpaths, bridleways and cycleways are allowed)
  • Litter bins, dog bins or lampposts
  • Membership-only facilities
  • Town or village centre enhancements (seating, street works, signage)
  • Overnight accommodation or residential areas
  • War memorials without full public access or outside a public park
  • Structure or fabric of new buildings or substantial extensions
  • Projects with a total cost over £250,000
  • Applications written by professional fundraisers, consultants or bid writers

How to apply

  1. Read the FCC CAF Guide for Applicants for the current round
  2. Use the distance checker to confirm the project is within 10 miles of an eligible FCC site and note the site and distance
  3. Find a Contributing Third Party (CTP) donor willing to pay 10.75% of the grant requested and get their written confirmation
  4. Register on the grant portal (via Apply) with a personal email address and verify it
  5. Once the round opens, complete the automated eligibility check to access the form
  6. Complete the eight-section online form, upload supporting documents and submit by 5pm on the deadline
  7. Send any required documents not uploaded within 5 days via portal Messages
  8. Eligible applications are scored and decided by the Board; you are notified within a week of the Board meeting
  9. If successful, the CTP pays FCC Environment within 28 days, the project is registered with ENTRUST and a Funding Agreement is issued - do not start work or order anything before signing it

2026-4 round opened 2 Sep 2026 and closes 5pm 18 Nov 2026; decisions 9 Mar 2027. Rounds run roughly quarterly.

Advice on 01953 717165 or info@fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk; staff cannot comment on drafts.

Have ready

  • Minute or similar confirming the primary contact is authorised to apply
  • Constitution, most recent accounts and a recent bank statement
  • Full project site address with local authority and parliamentary constituency
  • Photographs of the site
  • Maps showing the project location
  • Plans or drawings of the site and proposed works
  • Information on public access or hire (lettings policy, timetables, booking forms)
  • Details of how the site will be maintained after the project
  • Planning permissions or legal consents required
  • Evidence of need and community support/consultation
  • Full cost breakdown of the items or works requested
  • Quotes, tenders, architect's estimate or QS cost plan showing how costs were calculated
  • Evidence of confirmed match funding and/or other funders approached
  • Letter from the CTP donor confirming willingness to pay
  • Proof of site ownership or lease/management agreement with 5+ years remaining

Solar panels or heat pumps need a valid EPC or Predicted Energy Assessment. If successful: one quote for costs up to £1,000, three quotes for £1,001-£25,000, and a competitive tender with three responses above £25,000.

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