Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West

Just because you live in a rural area doesn't mean you should live without key services. Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West is a grant programme to work with the rural communities to help improve and grow the local services available to their residents.

To name just a few examples, these services could be as diverse as community-owned or voluntary:

• shops
• pubs
• cafés
• childcare facilities
• IT capabilities
• financial services
• waste management and recycling
• care services for elderly or disabled residents
• development of village halls into multi-service outlets

Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West is targeted at communities where local rural services and economic activity need a boost. These communities have been identified through a mapping process that examines their existing level of services and their location within economically deprived areas of the region.

We understand community initiatives come in all shapes and sizes as they are tailor made to suit their specific community; therefore, Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West has two different funding opportunities: the Community Initiative Fund and the Community Enterprise Fund. Please read on to find out more about these funds and to check your eligibility.

The Community Initiative Fund

The Community Initiative Fund supports rural community groups wishing to develop existing or new voluntary initiatives that improve service provision in the local area, where the primary goal of these groups is not to make money from the service but to ensure that the service is available.

Projects must:

• Be a voluntary organisation, community group, charity or even a parish council wishing to advance service provision in their community
• Be a group with a defined social purpose
• Be located in a targeted rural area as specified by the programme
• Contribute towards community sustainability, supporting the economic and/or social environment of the community to ensure its future
• Evidence local need for the service (e.g. through community planning, parish plan or another consultation process)
• Have individuals who possess the skills and expertise to implement the project successfully, or they are able to indicate how they will acquire or develop them.

Grant Award Up to £7,000 grant assistance is available per project along with individual facilitation to help with general needs.

The Community Enterprise Fund

The Community Enterprise Fund supports community groups wishing to establish or expand community enterprises which contribute to the rural services and economic improvement in their local communities.

Projects must:

• Be either an established or prospective social enterprise or an established voluntary organisation wishing to develop an enterprise-based activity.
• Be either an incorporated and socially-owned legal entity or intending to incorporate as such as part of the project.
• Be a group with a defined social purpose
• Be located in a targeted rural area specified by the programme
• Have the potential to achieve economic viability, even if this is with the benefit of some minor grant support or voluntary contributions.
• Evidence local need for the service (e.g. through community consultation, market research, feasibility studies)
• Have individuals who possess the skills and expertise to implement the project successfully, or they are able to indicate how they will acquire or develop them.

Grant Award The Community Enterprise Fund provides packages of support including a monetary grant and specialist advisory support. The support package comprises of the following: Up to £6,000 grant assistance is available per project Up to 5 days advisory support is available per project, delivered by an approved specialist advisor

How to Apply

The Application Form and detailed Guidance Notes for applicants may be downloaded from the Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West website at www.ruralcommunityfund.org.uk. If you do not have access to a computer or would prefer to be sent copies by post, please write to or call the programme office, as detailed below.

Please read through the application form and guidance notes. Following this, if you want to apply for the fund, please call us to chat through your project and to determine if your proposed project meets the broad eligibility criteria for the programme. Projects can only apply to either the Community Initiatives Fund or the Community Enterprise Fund. If you meet the criteria, an application code will be assigned and you will be invited to submit an application to us.

An application will normally take no longer than six weeks to be assessed and for us to let you know whether or not support will be provided.

This grant programme is a limited funding opportunity; applications for assistance will only be accepted from now until 31st March 2008. We will assess applications on a rolling basis. We strongly recommend projects to send their applications as early as possible.

Programme Office:
The Quadrangle
Woodstock
Oxfordshire
OX20 1LH
T: 01993 810 730
E: ruralcommunityfund@plunkett.co.uk

Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West is run by a partnership of rural and social support organisations, including Plunkett Foundation and North West Rural Community Councils.