Councillor Initiative Fund

Introduction

The Councillor Initiative Fund allows our District Councillors to make awards of funding to support a wide range of community projects and activities. As locally elected Councillors, the fund allows them to get involved with local work and provide funding to help make things happen.

Each District Councillor has £4,000 over a 4 year period to award to local community projects and activities. We use a simple and easy awards process to enable decisions to be made quickly.

Deadlines for this scheme

This scheme will close on 28 February 2023. The fund may close sooner if funds are all awarded.

How much can we apply for?

There is no set amount that can you can apply for from this scheme. Awards are made at the discretion of local District Councillors. You can approach your local District Councillors with an amount you are seeking.

Your District Councillor will decide if they wish to support your project and how much they are going to award from their yearly amount.

On average most awards made are between £100 and £500.

Funding can be used for a wide range of projects and activity including but not limited to:

• community events such as street parties, a big lunch or litter picking days
• setting up a new community activity such as a gardening club or residents group
• undertake small improvements to community assets such as painting a community room, buying equipment for a village hall or purchasing planters to improve the street scene

What match funding is required?

No match funding is required for this scheme and we can fund up to 100% of your project costs. Although not required we do like to see how you can secure match funding either from your own group funds or other grants. Your local District Councillor may require some match funding before offering funding from this scheme.

In-kind match funding is also very important. This includes volunteer time given to deliver the project. We will ask for this information to help show the valuable contribution volunteers make.

Who can apply to this scheme?

The following types of organisations are eligible to apply:

• Town Councils
• Parish Councils
• Social Enterprises
• Community Groups
• Registered Charities
• Voluntary Sector Organisations
• Community Interest Companies
• Companies Limited by Guarantee
• Faith or Religious organisations*
• Schools or Academies*

* As long as the project is for wider community benefit

Who cannot apply to this scheme?

The following types of organisations are currently not eligible to apply:

• Informal groups or individuals
• Businesses or private sector organisations
• Local Authorities and other Public Service Bodies
• Organisations delivering projects outside of West Lindsey
• Sole use facilities which are not open/accessible to the whole community

How do I apply to this scheme?

To apply to this scheme you should first make contact with your local District Councillor. You can find contact details for your local District Councillor on our Find your District Councillor page.

You should contact your local District Councillor and explain you are seeking funds from their Councillor Initiative Fund. You will need to give them information about your organisation and project.

Once you have agreement from your District Councillor you can complete the Councillor Initiative Fund - Application Form. This form asks for your contact details, information about the project, how it benefits the community and bank account details.

When you have completed the form please return to funding@west-lindsey.gov.uk

Contact Details

If you have a query about this scheme or need further advice please contact us.
Email: funding@west-lindsey.gov.uk