The Community Sparks Fund
North Devon Council’s Community Sparks Fund will provide grants for local groups, organisations and businesses to organise pop-up events, projects and activities in Barnstaple, with the aim of creating a fun and vibrant town centre experience and deterring antisocial behaviour.
Grants of up to £500 are available. Projects should have a positive impact on the local Barnstaple community and help people feel safe, with a greater sense of belonging and involvement in their neighbourhood.
Events could include making use of redundant buildings and spaces; hosting activities in the evening; landscaping or creating art in neglected areas; hosting tours, walks and discovery trails, or running programmes of paid music or street performance acts.
The Community Sparks Fund is part of Safer Barnstaple, a series of projects and initiatives designed to prevent antisocial behaviour and incidents of violence against women and girls, as well as increasing feelings of safety in the town.
The deadline for applications is Friday 16 December 2022, with successful applicants being notified in January 2023. A second round of funding will be available in Spring 2023.
To apply for Community Sparks funding, fill out the online form on the North Devon Council website, or for more information about applying, email Clare China at clare.china@northdevon.gov.uk
Devon County Council - Growing Communities Fund
The Growing Communities Fund is intended to support proactive, effective, measurable, and sustainable actions to enable individuals and communities to tackle the current cost-of-living issues through reducing food and fuel inequalities, building self-reliance, community resilience and improving mental health and wellbeing.
The Growing Communities Fund will commonly provide grant awards of between £500 and £1,000. Grants of up to £3,000 can be applied for if you have an exemplary project and are able to accept payment in arrears.
The Fund can support projects that:
- Address hardship such as food or fuel insecurity, for example offering warm safe spaces, something to eat and drink, and a place to work, learn or socialise.
- Build greater degrees of self-reliance and community resilience for example offering advice, peer support or guidance on budgeting, cooking low-cost nutritional meals.
- Tackle loneliness and isolation and build self-esteem.
- Have a clear and direct community benefit and aim to respond to the climate emergency.
The Fund cannot be used for:
- Activities that are the responsibility of a public body.
- Activities that are contributing to general fundraising.
- Projects that are delegating any acquired fund to third parties.
- Projects that are solely for the benefit of animals.
- Projects that are solely counselling based.
- Projects that are in support of a single faith without wider community benefit.
- Retrospective funding such as an activity that has already taken place or been committed to.
- Alcohol or medication.
- Large projects where the link between a grant awarded and overall project outcomes are not clear.
- Loss of income.
- Applications from individuals, sole traders or grant-making organisations (where funding is requested for grant making).
- Projects that provide support to more than 25% of beneficiaries living outside of the Devon County Council administrative area.
Not-for-profit, voluntary or community groups, registered charities or social enterprises that are providing services or activities for the benefit of people and communities in Devon may apply. For the full list of who can apply as well as guidance on how to apply visit the Devon County Council website, where you will also find the online application form.
Community News
North Devon Christmas Market 2022 returning for its 8th year. Held in the village of Braunton on Saturday 3 December 2022, from Midday to 9 pm. There will be over 150 stalls, combining arts and crafts, food and drink, games and rides. There will also be entertainment and Christmas cheer will definitely be in the air.
There is a real community spirit to this event as local traders and companies come together to offer something special and unique before Christmas.