Activities that enable residents to be active, healthy and well. This could include:

• access to sport, leisure, culture and green spaces
• low or no-cost opportunities that increase participation for those facing barriers
• activities that build social connection through volunteering or community participation

Projects should support people to make positive lifestyle choices and improve overall wellbeing.

Activities that help residents feel safe and proud of where they live, including improving the quality, safety and accessibility of local environments. This could include:

• support for people who feel vulnerable
• improvements to green and public spaces that create a stronger sense of pride and belonging

Projects should contribute to neighbourhoods being places people feel comfortable to live in and move around in.

Activities that help people feel connected to their community and reduce social isolation, particularly for those most at risk. This could include:

• opportunities to take part in community life, volunteering
• initiatives that celebrate diversity and create inclusive, welcoming spaces

Projects should enable people to build relationships, feel valued, and have a voice in shaping their local area.

Activities that ensure people can access the right information, advice and support when they need it, particularly those facing the greatest challenges. This could include:

• advocacy, targeted support services or partnership approaches that help people navigate systems and improve outcomes

Projects should increase people’s confidence and ability to manage their situation and reduce inequalities in access to support.

We will fund a Community Interest Company (CIC) if:

• the company’s activities clearly deliver public benefit
• the grant is used for community purposes
• the company can demonstrate social impact

To establish this, as well as your governing document we will require additional information including:

• Community Interest Statement (CIC36)
• Annual Community Interest Report (CIC34)
• business plan

All CICs are legally required to operate with an asset lock, providing assurance that the organisation's assets will be retained for community benefit and protected from unrestricted private distribution. Therefore, we will not fund CICs that do not have an asset lock.

CICs limited by shares are not eligible to apply for this funding programme. Although these organisations are established to deliver community benefit, they are permitted to distribute a proportion of their profits to shareholders.

Because our grant funding is intended to support organisations that reinvest all surpluses for public and community benefit, only charities, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), and CICs limited by guarantee are eligible to apply. You should ensure that your legal structure meets the eligibility criteria before you apply.

We understand that directors, shareholders and connected persons may legitimately provide services to a CIC, and we are not seeking to exclude such arrangements. However, we need to understand any potential private benefit arising from the grant.

Where grant funding may be used directly or indirectly for the benefit of a director, shareholder, family member, connected person, or a business connected to them, we will consider the circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

The information you provide will help us assess any potential private benefit and inform our discretionary decision-making on whether the proposed use of grant funding is appropriate and eligible for support.

We expect CIC governance arrangements to include sufficient independent scrutiny to provide assurance that public or charitable funding will be used for community benefit and not confer undue private benefit.

Grant funding advisory note

We do not normally award unrestricted grants to CICs. We generally provide grants for a specific project, activity or community benefit, to ensure there is a clear public purpose for the funding and because unrestricted grants can give rise to tax and accounting considerations for the recipient.

CICs are responsible for obtaining their own independent professional advice regarding any tax implications of receiving a grant.

Your group must:

• be independently set up for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes and does not operate private, commercial or personal profit or gain
• have a legal structure that is appropriate to the size and nature of the organisation with a governing document defining its aims and procedures
• have been established for a minimum of one year
• have a minimum of three unrelated, elected volunteers who decide policy and overall management. By ‘unrelated’ we mean people who are not:
  • family members, such as siblings, parents and children
  • married couples or civil partners
  • or people living at the same address
• not be a statutory body, must not have been established by a statutory body, and must not be wholly or partly managed by a statutory body
• activity does not fall within the remit or statutory responsibilities of a statutory organisation
• not provide regulated or unregulated personal care services, clinical treatment, or talking therapies (group or one-to-one)
• not promote or appear to support a political party or ideology
• not have a ‘person of significant control’ listed on the Companies House register of ‘persons with significant control’ where an individual has the right to or power to:
  • appoint and remove the majority of the company’s directors
  • hold more than 50% of the company's shares
  • hold more than 50% of the voting rights
  • exercise (whether directly or indirectly) a considerable degree of influence or control over the company or its activities
• meet the legal responsibilities of an employer and adopt, implement, and monitor good employment practices and procedures, if relevant
• show good governance and management by having up to date policies and procedures that are followed, kept under review, and meet legal requirements
• comply with all statutory and legal responsibilities applicable to the organisation and its regulatory body, if relevant
• if a Community Interest Company (CIC):
  • have been established for at least one year
  • have an asset lock (not-for-profit distribution clause)
  • be limited by guarantee
• have up to date, appropriate and adequate insurance cover
• have returned satisfactory monitoring and evaluation, accounts or other information requested on time (in connection with any previous funding from us)

Your group must:

• keep accurate financial records that comply with legal standards and your governing documents including annual accounts
• provide up-to-date whole organisation accounts, showing income and expenditure (profit and loss) against current budget
• have a dual-controlled group bank account (two signatories) in the organisation’s name
• ensure that the bank or building society account in which you hold our grant funds is regulated either by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is safeguarded by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
  • Check which firms the PRA regulates.
  • Use the FSCS’s bank and savings protection checker.
• ensure that effective financial systems and procedures have been established, are being consistently followed and are in line with best practice and legal requirements for example has a reserves policy, presents finances to a board or committee for scrutiny
• have an annually updated reserves policy outlining total reserves, distinguishing restricted and unrestricted funds, explaining their purpose and calculation, and including designated reserves where relevant
• demonstrate they need financial support for the activity

Your group must provide:

• the latest version of your governing document
• a list of trustees, directors or committee members
• a bank statement from within the last three months showing organisational name and address
• a list with names of two signatories for the bank account
• the latest set of annual accounts, this should include profit and loss (income and expenditure), and balance sheets or cash flow
• a whole-organisation budget or up-to-date accounts showing profit and loss, income and expenditure against current budget
• a trustee’s or director’s report (signed and dated)
• an external examiner’s report (signed and dated), where the annual income is £25,000 or above
• a risk assessment(s) for your project or activities
• an insurance certificate(s)
• if a Community Interest Company (CIC):
  • the Community Interest Report (CIC34)
  • a business plan
  • form CIC36
• policies (including date of adoption and date for review) on:
  • complaints
  • data protection
  • environmental
  • equality and diversity
  • health and safety
  • reserves
  • safeguarding

If you need help developing any of these documents, read the support and guidance section on the Community Grants page.

We will not fund:

• personal care or funding for individuals
• activities that will make a direct private, personal or commercial gain or profit
• activities and support that are the remit of another statutory organisation such as: county council, clinical and health and social care services including counselling, or education delivered during the school day that is not accessible to the wider community
• activities that are more suited to our other grant schemes such as Homelessness Prevention Grants
• activities that promote religion or worship
• we will not fund trips to religious places of worship, however funded activities can happen in places of worship, for example in your local mosque or church. Religious groups can apply for non-religious activities but will need to demonstrate that the activity is inclusive to all faiths and religions when appropriate
• activities that promote or appear to support a political party or ideology
• activities that have already happened or happen before funding awards have been released, or are outside the grant award period
• food and refreshments that are not integral to the activity’s outcome or are over £7 per head
• equipment that is not integral to the activity’s outcome, reasonable equipment costs will only be considered as part of a fully costed activity
• the hire of a bar or buying alcohol
• fundraising activities such as raffles, lotteries, or any other secondary fundraising activities
• competitive activities including costs for judges, competitions, winners, rounds, and awards
• activities that will be held outside Cambridge unless there is no other suitable location, such as day trips to the seaside
• entrance fees and the use of cars will only be considered in exceptional circumstances
• activities where groups do not hold appropriate qualifications and accreditations to deliver them
• redistribution of grant funding to another group or individuals, such as running a microgrant scheme for individuals in need
• activities for those that could afford to pay
• running costs that are not realistic and proportionate in relation to the activity delivered
• publicity that is not related to an eligible activity and is not reasonably costed
• we do not fund website development or updates unless it is directly providing, and integral to, the funded activity
• apprenticeship schemes
• language and cultural classes
• staff, self-employed, or contracted costs which exceed those agreed for city council workers. However, we actively encourage organisations that employ people to pay or to work towards paying, the Real Living Wage

We cannot award funding to:

• groups based outside the UK
• membership-based organisations where access to services or activities is restricted to paying members such as uniformed groups
• groups that have not complied with the monitoring requirements or grant conditions from any grant previously received from us

We welcome and encourage funding applications from partnerships and collaborations. Working together can strengthen delivery, broaden reach, and enhance the impact of funded activities.

We are particularly interested in proposals that:

• support the delivery of high-quality arts, sport, or other community activities
• will benefit communities with specific needs, whether geographic, demographic, or subject specific
• demonstrate shared goals and responsibilities between partners
• show how collaboration will enhance outcomes for participants and communities

Applications can be submitted by:

• lead organisations on behalf of a partnership with individuals and organisations
• consortia of groups
• cross-sector collaborations, including those involving arts, sports, health, education, or social care

Your group can lead one partnership award in addition to holding a Community Grant award in any grant funding period. The grant can be from either the Small or Large Community Grant programmes.

To help us assess your proposal, please ensure you:

• clearly describe the roles and contributions of each partner
• explain how the partnership will be managed and sustained
• provide evidence of community need and how your activity will address it
• outline how you will measure impact and success

You must have permission from the landowner if your activity will take place on land that you do not own.

For activities on land owned by us, you must submit a statement of intent. Please allow four weeks for us to decide whether to allow it to take place.

• Hiring a park or open space for your event

You are required to complete a monitoring report and submit annual statements of accounts as a condition of receiving a grant.

The grants portal will generate a report for you to tell us what you did with the grant and what difference it made to the participants.

For one-year grants, you must submit the report and your annual statement of accounts within one month after the completion of your activity and by 30 April 2028.
For two and three-year grants, you must submit the report and annual statements of accounts by 30 April at the end of each funded year.

Monitoring reports should be accompanied by supporting evidence such as publicity material and photographs. We might request further information.

Please keep all receipts and invoices related to the activity, as we might ask to see these.

You must repay in full any award that:

• you do not spend
• you cannot provide evidence that you used it for the allocated purpose