Community Sparks fund

Description

Community Sparks Fund

North Devon Council is launching a Community Sparks Fund, which will award small grants to support ideas on how to help prevent crime and make Barnstaple a place everyone enjoys and feels safe.

Projects will have a positive impact on the local Barnstaple community, which help people feel safe with a greater sense of belonging and involvement in their neighbourhood.

The fund will provide grants to local, community groups, organisations, businesses, and their teams. By organising pop-up activities and projects, the aim is to prevent crime and enhance community life in Barnstaple town centre. The fund will support initiatives and ideas to enhance the local area, which will deter anti-social behaviour and make the town safe for all users.

Events could include:

• running local events and activities to activate/change spaces in the town centre
• making redundant local buildings and spaces used and loved
• hosting activities in the evening
• landscaping or public art in neglected areas
• creative art, signs, or window displays
• hosting a tour, walk or discovery trail
• area takeovers with positive activity
• running a programme of paid music or street performance acts

The Process

There is £10,000 available in the scheme, with grants of up to £500 per application. We are seeking to support groups and individuals to realise inspiring ideas that will help make our town centre a vibrant place to be.

Grants will be awarded to eligible applicants whose project proposal best meets our ambitions to enhance community life in Barnstaple town centre. 

You need to complete the application form electronically and submit it online. For any questions about the project or your application, please email Clare China at Clare.China@northdevon.gov.uk.  We do not require any further documents from you with your application, but you may be asked to produce a copy of your governance document and current bank statement if your application is approved. You will need to provide a post-event monitoring report showing how the grant was spent and who attended, with photographs where possible.

Our aim is to support a varied range of events and activities. Grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Apply to the Community Sparks Fund

Eligibility

1. The activity or event must be located within Barnstaple town centre, complimenting or enhancing the town’s character and community interests.
2. The activity or event must take place before the end of September 2023 – this is subject to negotiation based on availability and existing programme of town centre events.
3. The activity or event must be temporary – no long term or permanent arrangement can be approved.
4. We cannot accept applications for events/costs that have already been incurred
5. The organisation applying for the grant must be able to supply (on or after the application submission):

• evidence of costs for the event – receipts or invoices
• bank account details in the name of the organisation or individual – all grant payments will be made by BACs transfer
• a constitution, governing document or similar

6. Successful organisations will be asked to promote their events using the social media handles provided.
7. We cannot fund alcohol or support events that have a religious or political theme
8. Capital and Revenue costs are eligible – however, if there will be items of capital spend include you must provide details in the ‘additional information’ box of what the capital items will be used for after the event/activity and who will own/maintain it.