During 2025/2026, Crowdfund Walsall (UKSPF) are able to provide funding for projects, which improve places, spaces or resident's quality of lives in Walsall. There is up to £5,000 or 60% (revenue) or £10,000 or 60% (capital) of your project target available, per organisation, per fund, per year (following the financial year from April 25 to March 26).

UK Shared Prosperity Fund priorities support projects that bring people together, build on community spirit or enhance the places and spaces of our borough. We want to support creative, locally led proposals that help the area recover and grow stronger. Building resilient, healthy, and safe neighbourhoods, that people want to live, work, play and learn in, through targeted improvements to the built and natural environment.

Our priorities are: Capacity building and infrastructure support for local groups.

All projects must be located within the borough boundaries. Crowdfund Walsall (UKSPF) is only able to match-fund projects that are being delivered by constituted organisations including registered/local charities, community groups, social enterprises, residents and trader associations.

All pledges that are received through the UKSPF must be compliant with the UKSPF branding and publicity guidelines. Please see the link here for further information and details: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-branding-and-publicity-6

Outcomes of this fund are improved engagement numbers for your organisations. These will be monitored through your current engagement numbers, then expected engagement numbers, revisited at the end of your project.

1.    SHARE YOUR IDEA + ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Spacehive will help you develop your project idea so that you are set up for success and ready to crowdfund. Tell us about your idea here: www.spacehive.com/create and the Spacehive team will guide you on how to begin your campaign. 

2.    CREATE YOUR PROJECT ON SPACEHIVE

Create your project page and pitch document on the Spacehive portal, which will match you to the fund name. You are encouraged to create your project early, to unlock support from the Spacehive team. 

3.    GET YOUR PROJECT VERIFIED

The project costs and necessary permissions will be checked by Spacehive's verifiers before you begin crowdfunding. Submit early to ensure you’re verified before the deadline. Verification takes an average of four days where project creators have the relevant documents to hand. 

Before you submit for verification, make sure that you have:

• Proof of permission (e.g. event license, council agreement, landowner consent). Read more about permissions.

• Evidence of costs (e.g. building work quotations, links to online shop listings, UKSPF adheres to Public Contract Regulations - where single items are over £2,500 we will require 3 quotatations).

• Relevant insurances, policies, or qualifications (e.g. organisation constitution, safeguarding policy, certifications).

• Evidence of any funds that you have received for this project that you would like to have shown on your campaign (e.g. grant agreement, scan of a cheque, bank statement).

4.    LAUNCH YOUR CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN AND PITCH TO THE FUND

Once verified, launch your crowdfunding campaign. Ensure you have submitted your fund pitch by the deadline too, to be considered for a pledge from the council.

Please note: the council will not be the first organisation to pledge to your project and will first want to see community support and backing, in the form of pledges from local people towards your campaign.

Start by getting lots of small pledges from the community to show local support for your project. This will help unlock bigger pledges.

Please note: a typical crowdfunding campaign should not exceed three months.

5.    ASSESSMENT AND PLEDGE

The council will review all projects typically 6 weeks after the deadline and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to  a maximum pledge of £5,000 (or 60% of overall project costs) during their live campaign. For example, a £8,000 campaign could get up to £4,800. 

6. HIT YOUR TARGET AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT 

You need to hit your target in order to receive the funds you raise. Please allow up to three weeks to receive funds once your campaign ends. Once you deliver your project, you can update your backers by completing a colourful impact report on Spacehive. 

To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre. 

For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive on [email protected]

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

This Programme is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information visit:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

The Community Capital Investment Programme aims to provide grants to Community and Voluntary sector organisations in order to deliver capital improvements to premises in the Bloxwich and Walsall Towns Deal. We are looking for projects which re-furbish and upgrade buildings and equipment to provide innovative and supportive environments for the people of Walsall. To apply for a Community Capital Grant, you must be able to evidence the need for the grant, the outputs that will be achieved, and any health and wellbeing benefits resulting from the funding. Grants are available for charities or not-for-profit community and voluntary sector organisations based in Walsall Town Centre or Bloxwich; that provide learner assisted outcomes these areas.

Please refer to the Towns deal boundary maps using the link below:

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/business/regeneration-and-investment/town-deal-walsall/town-deal-board or

https://mymaps.walsall.gov.uk/walsalltowndealsolo.html

https://mymaps.walsall.gov.uk/bloxwichtowndealsolo.html

Your organisation MUST be within the boundary of the Walsall or Bloxwich towns deal boundaries to be considered eligable for Community Capital funding.

The outcomes following your successful project delivery are to reduce barriers, through accredited and non-accredited learning which gives people the opportunity to thrive and ultimately contribute to their local economy.

1.    ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Spacehive will help you develop your project idea so that you are set up for success and ready to crowdfund. Tell us about your idea here: www.spacehive.com/create and the Spacehive team will guide you on how to begin your campaign. 

2.    PROJECT PAGE AND PITCH

Create your project page on Spacehive and submit this for verification with the Spacehive team.   A member of the Crowdfund Walsall team will be in touch to ask you additional elagibility questions before you are invited to complete your pitch paperwork.

Once the CFW and SH team have approved your intial project page and eligability - you can then pitch to the Community Capital Investment Programme. 

3.    VERIFICATION

The project costs and necessary permissions will be checked by the team and independent verifiers, Locality. This involves checking quotes for all the major items and if you have landowner permission for your project.

4.    CROWDFUNDING

Run your crowdfunding campaign during the funding round you have pitched to. Start by getting lots of small pledges from the community to show local support for your project. This will help unlock bigger pledges.

5.    PLEDGE

The council will review all project campaigns and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to 90% for capital costs. We will inform you of this once your pledge has been approved by panel.

6. HIT YOUR TARGET AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT 

Before pitching please ensure you speak to a member of the Crowdfund Walsall team to support the verification process. [email protected]

Tackling Inactivity Fund
This fund seeks to support creative, locally led proposals that support our most inactive communities to move more, and the health and wellbeing and wider benefits associated with this.  Outcomes will also include those relating to: community cohesion and engagement, development of relationships and partnerships and environmental impact. 
Men’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
This fund seeks to support a range of innovative projects/activities to improve the mental wellbeing of men's Walsall population. There is increasing evidence on the protective, risk and environmental factors associated with men's mental health and on the benefit of interventions that promote mental wellbeing at individual, community and population level.
Walsall Dementia Support Fund
Walsall Council seeks to fund projects and activities to improve awareness of dementia, its symptoms, and associated risk factors. The Council invites proposals from local community organisations, groups and individuals* interested in promoting health and wellbeing in relation to dementia. Public Health is offering an opportunity for service providers and community members to raise awareness about dementia, promote support and resources, and dispel misinformation and stigma.
Projects should aim to:
• Increase awareness of dementia, its symptoms, and preventative measures
• Reduce stigma within communities, which can impact wellbeing and hinder early diagnosis.
• Ensure events and activities are inclusive and accessible to the specified communities.
Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to these goals and outline how they will be achieved through planned events and activities.

Each fund has its own outcomes, projects will be expected to capture data to demonstrate that their projects are supporting their local communities in line with increasing activity, men's mental health, and dementia as well as wider health and wellbeing.  This could include completing participant data from a variety of sources including increased awareness, physical activity measures, dementia symptoms and early diagnosis,  patient health questionnaires or wellbeing index as well as capturing qualitative feedback through a range of mechanisms.

Outcomes will also include those relating to: community cohesion and engagement, development of relationships and partnerships and environmental impact.  

Note Spacehive has a suggested format for explaining how projects can take part in funding rounds which we can adapt to be relevant to your programme timeline (see below).

1.    EXPRESSION OF INTEREST/ ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Complete our Expression of Interest Form as soon as possible to inform us of your project idea and knowledge of crowdfunding.

2.    PROJECT PAGE AND PITCH

Create your project page on Spacehive which will match you to the Walsall Council fund.

3.    VERIFICATION

The project costs and necessary permissions will be checked by independent verifiers, Locality. This involves checking quotes for all the major items and if you have landowner permission for your project.

4.    CROWDFUNDING

Run your crowdfunding campaign during summer 2021. Start by getting lots of small pledges from the community to show local support for your project. This will help unlock bigger pledges.

5.    PLEDGE

The council will review all project campaigns and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to 40% of your target by 21st April.

6. HIT YOUR TARGET AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT