Got a great idea for a community project, but need a little help to get it off the ground? The Onward Community Fund aims to support local groups and projects. Underpinned by the mission ‘To 
make a positive difference in the communities we serve’ groups can bid for up to £2,500 for their neighbourhood. Examples could include: IT training, youth projects or community events.
Projects should aim to address one or more of the following:
- Theme 1 – Building stronger communities: Supporting individuals and neighbourhood community organisations to increase their expertise and develop their interest groups, in order to help the wider community and increase opportunities
- Theme 2 – Employment and training: Supporting individuals to access employment, training and enterprise opportunities
- Theme 3 – Digital inclusion: Being unable to interact and transact online has a direct and tangible impact on many key areas of everyday life
- Theme 4 – Building community food resilience: Supporting efforts to address food insecurity within communities
- Theme 5 – Youth provision: To ensure that the offer for young people evolves to meet changing needs
- Theme 6 – Mental wellbeing and greenspaces: Supporting organisations who are well placed to provided mental health support, recognising the increasing challenges relating to this issue, or develop innovative models of early intervention around access to greenspace and community networks
Applications must meet the following criteria:
- The project must benefit Onward neighbourhoods
- Organisations must be constituted and have their own bank account
Application process
There is a two stage process starting with an expression of interest form which must be completed online. A member of the Social Investment Team will contact you to discuss your project in more detail and check you eligibility to our fund. If Onward Homes decide to take your application forward, an application form will be emailed to you to complete.
Deadlines:
Round 1 – Opens 1 April 2022 and closes 15 May 2022
Round 2 – Opens 1 July 2022 and closes 15 August 2022
Round 3 – Opens 1 October 2022 and closes 15 November 2022
Round 4 – Opens 1 December 2023 and closes 21 January 2023
For more information, email: [email protected]