Crowdfund Walsall is a civic crowdfunding programme created by Walsall Council in partnership with Spacehive. It enables eligible voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to showcase ideas and raise funding for projects that have a positive impact across the borough.

The programme encourages local people to work with qualifying VCSE organisations to develop and deliver projects that enhance local communities and improve residents' lives.

Alongside support and donations from residents, businesses and the wider community, several funding opportunities are available through the programme. These funds can contribute towards eligible community crowdfunding campaigns led by qualifying VCSE organisations.

Projects need to apply by the funding round deadline so that the council can review the projects and decide which ones they’re able to support. 

• Funding round opening on Tuesday 21 July 2026

• Funding round deadline: Wednesday 16th September 2026 

• Crowdfund Walsall Board meeting: November 2026

Join us for our next project creator workshop to find out more and learn how you can start a crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive:

• Online workshop: Tuesday 21st July 2026

• Register for your free place here

1. Create a project page

Head to Spacehive.com/create to get started.

You'll need to register for an account and create a project page outlining your project idea.

2. Apply for Council funding

The Spacehive platform will automatically match your project to any Walsall Council funds available for your project's location and eligibility. You will then need to complete the relevant funding applications as part of your project pitch.

3. Get your project verified

Before you can start crowdfunding, your project must be verified to ensure that the necessary permissions, governance and project details are in place.

You'll also need to provide quotes for the main items in your project budget. See the Spacehive Help Centre here for verification guidance.

Remember to add any pre-campaign funding you've already secured, as this demonstrates existing support for your project. See the Help Centre here for further guidance.

4. Start crowdfunding

Once your crowdfunding campaign is live on the Spacehive platform, you can begin raising funds and demonstrating local community support.

Most crowdfunding campaigns run for between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on your fundraising target. Spacehive offers guidance here to help you achieve your crowdfunding goal.

If your project is awarded a Council pledge, it will be added to your campaign once the required level of community support has been demonstrated.

5. Reach your target and deliver your project

Your project must reach its crowdfunding target before any funds, including Council pledges, are released.

Once you have reached your target, the funds will be released within a few weeks, allowing you to begin delivering your project.

6. Deliver your project and complete an impact report

After your crowdfunding campaign has finished, deliver your project within the agreed timeframe and complete an impact report on Spacehive.

Submitting an impact report is mandatory and allows you to share your project's achievements with your supporters and Walsall Council. You will also be required to meet Walsall Council's monitoring and compliance requirements.

Support

For detailed guidance on each stage of the process, visit the Spacehive Help Centre.

If you have any questions about using the Spacehive platform, please contact Spacehive at [email protected].

For questions about the Crowdfund Walsall programme, please contact Walsall Council at [email protected].

The programme offers four funds:

• Public Health and Wellbeing fund: Over £45,000 available

               This is made up of two funding options:

                            * Tackling Inactivity and Food Health Fund – Over £40,000 available 

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. The fund also welcomes projects that improve access to healthy affordable food, improve residents cooking skills, community food growing opportunities, active lifestyles through gardening and food production, reduction in food waste and improve food education. Outcomes will also include those relating to community cohesion and engagement, development of relationships and partnerships, environmental impact and evidencing movement of activity levels. 

                          * Walsall Dementia Support Fund – Over £5,000 available 

Our Walsall Dementia Support Fund seeks to fund projects and activities to improve awareness of dementia, its symptoms, and associated risk factors. Projects should promote support and resources, and dispel misinformation and stigma and deliver creative events and activities that people living with Dementia can take part in to improve residents health, wellbeing, community connections and local partnerships.

• Culture Equip Fund: Over £60,000 available

A fund to support Cultural, Creative and Heritage organisation’s improve cultural infrastructure through essential purchases and projects that boost participation, regeneration, sustainability and civic pride. This fund can only support Capital costs for essential purchases like equipment, IT hardware, vehicles, and website development.

• Safer Walsall Partnership fund: Over £10,000 available

A fund to support projects that help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, improve community safety and resilience.  Project to address the following priorities would be considered: violence and harm reduction, cohesive and safer communities (Counter Terrorism Strategy, hate crime and antisocial behaviours) domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, road and vehicle harm. Cross cutting priorities also include: fairness and disproportionality, drug and alcohol misuse, transitions and reducing re offending and community voice

• Heritage fund:   Over £110,000 available 

This fund supports projects that save, protect, enhance and inspire Walsall’s heritage. 

We are committed to supporting projects across the spectrum of what heritage means to people across the borough. Heritage can mean many different things to many different people. It isn’t solely defined by historic buildings, museum collections or stories of past industry.

• Public Health Fund: Over £45,000 available  

There are two funding streams that come under the Public Health and Wellbeing fund: 

* The Tackling Inactivity, Food and health fund (max pledge of £5,000 or 60%)

Supports creative, locally led proposals that support our most inactive communities to move more, and the health and wellbeing and wider benefits associated with this. The fund also welcomes projects that improve access to healthy affordable food, improve residents cooking skills, community food growing opportunities, active lifestyles through gardening and food production, reduction in food waste and improve food education.  Outcomes will also include those relating to community cohesion and engagement, development of relationships and partnerships and environmental impact. 

Projects should aim to undertake activities that: 

• Support our inactive residents increase their activity levels

• Increase community cohesion and engagement 

• Improve development of relationships and partnerships and support our environmental impact. 

• Improve access to healthy and affordable food, develop cooking and food skills, encourage health lifestyles through food-based actives including community growing, gardening and allotment projects 

• Reduce food waste and strengthen community resilience and healthy eating education.

• Show a clear alignment to priorities, commitments and actions within Walsall's Food Plan and/or the Physical Activity Framework.

Projects will be expected to deliver activity, collect participant/project data, to record improvement in residents’ activity levels, wellbeing measures, diet and nutrition, access to local, affordable healthy food choices, community food growing activities, and/or access to food and nutrition education & skills opportunities, and sign posting to future activities/clubs. The project must be able to demonstrate their impact on local communities and wider health and wellbeing outcomes.

Supporting information: 

We are particularly interested in projects that support the ambitions of the Walsall Food Plan and Walsall’s Physical Activity Framework - by helping residents access healthier food choices, develop food skills, strengthen community connections, create healthier local food environments and getting more physically active, you can find the food plan and Physical Activity Framework here:

• Feeding Walsall's Future: The Food Plan 2025 - 2030
• 11a. Appendix A Walsall Physical Activity Framework

* Walsall Dementia Support Fund (max pledge of £4,000 or 60%)

• Supports projects that raise awareness of dementia, its symptoms, associated risk factors and dispel misinformation and stigma.  As well as promoting health and wellbeing in relation to dementia through providing a creative or wellbeing activity that people living with Dementia can take part in over a 6 month period.

Projects should undertake activities that:

• Increase awareness of dementia, its symptoms, and preventative measures

• Reduce stigma within communities, which can impact wellbeing and hinder early diagnosis.

• Deliver creative events and activities that people living with Dementia can take part in (or could be adapted for people living with dementia) that are inclusive and accessible to the specified communities.

Projects will be expected to collect project and participant data and feedback to demonstrate their impact on local communities and wider health and wellbeing outcomes.

Who Can Apply

We can only fund projects that are delivered by constituted organisations such as: 

•     Public bodies (i.e. parish councils, schools supporting their wider community)
•      Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
•      Community Interest Company (CICs) and social enterprises
•      Constituted or unincorporated community groups
•      Inclusive faith and religious groups that do not promote a religious view
•      Schools in partnership with a not-for-profit organisation
•      Sports groups
•      Community Food Growing Groups (including gardening groups)
•      Groups who redistribute surplus food
•      Groups who work to minimise food waste and promote food recycling 

Large voluntary sector/national organisations are unable to be supported through this fund. 

Additional requirements

• Projects should be around 6 months for delivery

• Projects based in Walsall, delivering activity in Walsall, to Walsall residents will have preference to organisation’s based outside the borough

• Public Health Fund: Over £60,000 available 

• Maximum award: Up to £10,000 or 80% of campaign target

The Walsall Cultural Equip Capital Fund (Max pledge of £10,000 or 80%, supports creative, cultural and heritage organisation’s seeking to breathe new life into cultural spaces to inspire vibrant and inclusive community participation and civic pride. This fund provides capital funding for essential purchases like equipment, IT hardware, vehicles, and website development. From cameras, studio gear and 3D printers to design tools, the possibilities are broad.

Projects should undertake activity that:

• Enhance cultural infrastructure and participation

• Drive economic growth and attract investment in the creative economy

• Support cultural-led place regeneration and civic pride

• Promote environmental and social sustainability and inclusion

Who Can Apply

Creative Cultural and Heritage organisations that are:

•     Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
•      Community Interest Company (CICs) and social enterprises
•      Constituted or unincorporated community groups

Additional requirements

• Eligable organisations must be constituted with Creative, Cultural, or Heritage objectives set out in their constitution.

• To qualify as capital funding, equipment purchases must cost £2,000 as a minimum, this can however include purchase of multiple identical items where the order is £2,000 or above. E.g. one tablet costing £500 is ineligible, however 4 like for like tablets (or above) costing £2,000 (or above) would be eligible

• This fund can only pledge against capital cost items – revenue costs will need to be funded through the crowd. 

• Projects should aim to be around 6 months for delivery

• Organisations must be based within the Walsall borough to be eligible for funding

• Safer Walsall Partnership: Over £10,000 available 

• Maximum award: Up to £5,000 or 60% of campaign target

The Safer Walsall Partnership fund (Max pledge £5,000 or 60%) supports community projects that aim to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and increase feelings of safety across the borough of Walsall and within our communities. Projects can be people or place based and focused on specific areas or communities, or more broadly. This fund is also interested in projects that increase the voice of our communities around feeling safe, and community safety and which in turn, encourage engagement with our partners and public services.  

Projects must be community led and increase the resilience and safety of our communities. 

Projects should undertake activity that addreses the current Safer Walsall Partnerships priorities:

• Violence and harm prevention

• Cohesive and Safer Communities

  • CONTEST (Counter Terrorism Strategy)

  • Hate Crime

  • Anti-social Behaviour

• Domestic Abuse and VAWG

• Road and Vehicle Harm

Cross Cutting Priorities

• Fairness and Disproportionality

• Drug and Alcohol Misuse

• Transitions and Reducing Re Offending

• Community Voice

Who Can Apply

•      Public bodies (i.e. parish councils, schools supporting their wider community)
•      Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
•      Community Interest Company (CICs) and social enterprises
•      Constituted or unincorporated community groups
•      Inclusive faith and religious groups that do not promote a religious view

Additional requirements

• Organisations must be based within the borough, complete delivery within Walsall, to Walsall residents, to be eligible for funding.

• Projects for this funding round will need to be delivered and evaluations completed before the end of March 2027

• Therefore shorter projects of about three months would be considered for this funding round, with successful projects being in a position to start delivery after the CFW board meeting in November 2026.

• Walsall Community Heritage fund: Over £110,000 available 

• Maximum award: Up to £10,000 or 60% of campaign target

We are offering support towards community heritage projects taking place across the borough, which save, protect, enhance and inspire Walsall’s heritage. 

‘Heritage’ can mean many different things to many different people. It isn’t solely defined by historic buildings, museum collections or stories of past industry. Instead, people and communities also make up our heritage; our connections with the past and with each other, our shared interests and values. We are committed to supporting projects across the spectrum of what heritage means to people across the borough. We want to know what you think is important and should be preserved!
 

Projects should undertake activity that meets the current Heritage fund priorities:

• Save Walsall’s heritage e.g. improving access, understanding, condition and/or digital offer.  

• Protect Walsall’s environment, e.g. nature and climate change. 

• Celebrate and inspire Walsall’s heritage e.g. reducing barriers, increasing volunteering / workforce skills and diversity.

Who Can Apply

•      Public bodies (i.e. parish councils, schools supporting their wider community)
•      Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
•      Community Interest Company (CICs) and social enterprises
•      Constituted or unincorporated community groups
•      Inclusive faith and religious groups that do not promote a religious view
•      Schools in partnership with a not-for-profit organisation
•      Sports groups

Additional requirements

• Organisations based within the borough, delivering in Walsall, to Walsall residents will have priorityto organisations who are based outside of the borough.

• Heritage projects should have delivery timeframes of 6 – 12 months.

Please see the eligibility criteria for each fund - generally you need to fulfill one of these organisations statuses: 

We can only fund projects that are delivered by constituted organisations such as (fund specific): 

✔ Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)

✔ Community Interest Company (CICs) and social enterprises

✔ Constituted or unincorporated community groups

✔ Public bodies (i.e. parish councils, schools supporting their wider community)

✔ Inclusive faith and religious groups that do not promote a religious view

✔Schools (fund specific) in partnership with a not-for-profit organisation 

✔Sports groups

Across all Crowdfund Walsall funds:

• Projects must benefit Walsall residents and be delivered in Walsall.​

• Projects must contribute to the outcome requirements of the funders

• Projects should demonstrate creativity / innovation.​

• Organisation/group must be a minimum of six months old  

We cannot fund:

✘ Council services 

✘ Private, profit-making businesses (unless structured as CICs partnerships/co ops) 

✘ Projects that do not meet the objectives in our Borough Plan 

✘ Projects outside of Walsall (fund specific)

✘ Projects led by individuals not organisations/groups

✘ Organisations/groups under six months old 

How projects are assessed

To be considered for funding, projects should:

• Show clear community support before the Council makes its pledges, approaching other funders early (businesses, foundations, trusts) is recommended

• Demonstrate strong value for money, sustainability to each fund

• Once funded, you’ll have up to 3-12 months (fund specific timescales) to deliver your project and submit your impact report.

• Due to the complex nature of planning and permissions, Crowdfund Walsall is no longer able to accept pitches for lighting projects either on highways or common land.
• For any additional information or to talk through eligibility criteria, project ideas or fund options, please email the team using email address: [email protected]