£1,000 grant

• Start-up costs for a not-for profit-community group
• Projects with an element of fixed capital costs up to 60% of the grant.
• Activities that support people to develop new skills, gain a qualification or to access work experience leading to increased employability.
• Projects that increase levels of health and wellbeing such as a healthy eating workshop, events or fitness activities
• Art and craft events and activities leading to improved mental wellbeing or reduced isolation.
• Activities that reduce anti-social behaviour and enable people to feel safe in their communities creating an increased sense of belonging.
• Supporting activities that encourage social integration, develop sustainable communities and start-up projects.
• Costs can be considered for sessional workers or hiring in coaches, however we are unable to fund existing staff. Community activities which can include buying equipment.
• Contributing towards marketing and promotional costs to increase participation in activities up to the value of £200
• Contributing towards venue hire and rent up to up to a maximum of £300.

We want a number of our customers to be involved in the projects we fund, and a minimum of 15% of beneficiaries need to be believe housing tenants. If you are unsure about this element of the reporting, please contact the Community Investment Team by calling 0300 1311 999 before submitting your application.

We welcome applications from:

• Registered and exempt charities
• Community groups
• Schools
• Social enterprises
• Voluntary groups
• Community Interest Companies
• Town, Parish or Community Councils
• Faith groups/venues

• Individuals
• Private companies or ‘for-profit’ organisations
• Party political groups
• Those whose objectives and ethos do not meet believe housing’s charitable objectives.

To be eligible for the £1,000 grant, your projects must take place over a minimum period of three months and activities must take place at least once a month.

Shorter projects with higher outcomes and projects that engage long term will be looked upon more favourably.

To apply for this grant, your funding request will need to be over the value of £500 to a maximum value of £1,000.

Any group that has received our £500 community grant won’t be eligible to apply for our £1,000 grant within the same financial year.

We are unable to accept applications for the same project or activities across multiple years. Any new applications from a group or organisation must show a difference in what the grant is being asked to fund.

We are unable to accept applications for the believe housing £1,000 community grant to support:

• one-off events (unless part of a larger project)
• requests to buy goods and/or services on behalf of another organisation
• applications to develop the financial reserves of the organisation
• core funding which is ongoing running costs of an organisation (including staffing costs)
• religious, party political, or lobbying activities (non-religious and multi-faith activities may be funded)
• existing activities
• loans or debt repayments
• projects and activities for personal profit
• purchase of vehicles
• day-to-day organisational running costs, like utility bills and insurance
• individuals requesting funding.

After an application is received, the Community Investment Co-ordinator will contact the applicant if further information is required. When all information is supplied, a grant panel meeting will be arranged. The panel will be made up of believe housing tenants, supported by the Community Investment Coordinator’s. If the tenant grant panel cannot meet the panel will then be made up of the Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager and Community Investment Performance Team Leader.

We aim to inform applicants of the decision within four weeks from the date the application is submitted. Where possible, we will provide feedback and support to help you develop an application that meets the criteria.

Please make sure you allow enough time for the panel to consider your application when setting out project timescales as we are unable to fund projects retrospectively.

If believe housing agree to award a grant to help fund your project or activity, then you will be required to agree to terms and conditions.

To read the full terms and conditions, please click here.

Before completing the application, please make sure your project will be of benefit to one or more of the areas believe housing operates in, you have a bank account with two unrelated signatories, and you can provide us with two named contacts for your project; otherwise, your application will not be considered.