Are you aged between 10 - 24 years or do you work / support young people in this age bracket?
Do you have a great idea for a community project, but need a little help to get it off the ground?
The Better-Connected Communities Fund enables local Tenant and Resident community groups, individuals and organisations to apply for funding up to the value of £2,000 for projects and ideas which benefit our neighbourhoods (see map for eligible areas)
We are delighted to extend this offer to support projects specifically led by the young people who live, study or work in our borough.
Successful applications are chosen by a tenant led funding panel, and applications need to meet at least one of the following themes:
- Helping to build happy, resilient and safe communities – Bringing our young people together (e.g. youth activities, clubs, groups, sessions)
- To improve the places and spaces that matter to our young tenants and residents. Brownie points for projects with a focus on climate and environmental initiatives (Community Gardens, Community clean ups, litter picking, planting grow your own and recycling etc)
- Raising aspirations and creating opportunities – Through volunteering, education and improving digital skills (Community based courses and workshops to upskill and empower young people)
- Increase Youth Voice within communities, to help improve services and neighbourhoods (giving young people opportunities to improve communities by working together, this can be through community consultations, fun days etc).
Our panel will be prioritising projects that involve and have the local young people at the heart of everything they do, and who better to know and understand a community than the people that live there!
Who can apply
- Local young people who live, study or work in the Wigan Borough, these can be individuals, part of a local group / club, or adults who work and support young people (Projects must still be lead and influenced by young people)
- Groups must be locally led, meaning they are managed by people who live in the area where activities take place or have proof of youth community support
- Wigan Council officers or partnership organisations – They must be able to show how their project is supported by the youth community
- Groups must have a bank account, in the group name with at least 2 (unrelated) signatories – Individuals would need to be able to link in with a local group to hold their funds (We cannot pay funding into a personal bank account). Our Tenant Voice officers can support with connecting you to a local group if needed.
What we will fund
This list isn’t comprehensive; we advise that you speak to a Tenant Voice and Engagement officer before applying to discuss your project / event.
- Room hire for training, community events and meetings
- Training courses that relate to one of the funding themes
- Community events, fun days that look at community spirit, tenant voice, improving places and spaces etc
- Equipment for projects
- Educational trips that have a clear connection to the theme of the project
- Resources, promotional materials (printing, publicity etc)
- Refreshments of up to £5 per person.
What we won’t fund
- Staff costs - Unless sessional (Tutor costs for workshops / training etc)
- Alcohol
- Projects that have already taken place
- Religious or political activities
- Project planning and consultant fees
- Contingency plans, loans etc
- Projects that only benefit an individual.
Match funding
Although we do encourage match funding, we believe that people volunteering their time and support to improve the community they live in is more important, so match funding is desirable but not a mandatory requirement for the funding.
How to apply
How the Decision is made
All applications will be checked to ensure they meet the themes and criteria, The Tenant Voice and Engagement officer’s will be asked to comment on all applications – are they aware of the group, project, and to offer support.
Once an application has been checked it meets the basic criteria this then gets passed to our virtual Tenant Funding Panel. The funding panel is made up of tenants who want to support and encourage local projects and activities. We will be looking to recruit some young people to sit on this panel (applicants must be aged 18+, please speak to the team if this is something you are interested in)
The panel will scrutinise all applications and decide:
- Will they support the application fully or partially
- If partially, what will they fund and how much will they award
- Decline the application
- In some circumstances they may suggest the Group relooks at their application – The Tenant Voice and Engagement team can support.
If an application is declined the group will be notified, that the application has been declined for one of the following reasons:
- Does not benefit enough of the community
- Does not meet the criteria or have community support
- The project / activity is already happening in the community
- The funding for this financial year has been spent.
Our officers can support you to look for alternative funding streams if your project isn’t successful or doesn’t meet the criteria.
Successful Applications
If your application is successful, we will contact you directly with the next steps.
Please note: You will need to show us a copy of your constitution and bank account before any funds are awarded.
Evaluation
Following your project / activity, all groups will be required to complete a simple evaluation document, this shows the benefits your activity has had on your community. A Tenant Voice and Engagement officer can support groups to complete.
Groups must also agree to store all receipts from your project, the Tenant Voice and Engagement Team will randomly audit 10% of projects across the 12 months funding period.