Please note this fund is open twice per year for spring and autumn funding rounds - see the About page for more information on the next deadline.
You know what would help bring your neighbourhood together, improve the local area and build community spirit. We want to hear from you about your ideas for improving Barnet and, where possible, to help make them a reality.
We will review funding applications for all types of projects. They could be focused on physical improvements that leave a lasting legacy or they could be events or activities that last just for one day or one week, but which bring people together and help build community togetherness. They could also be about supporting others, whether it be helping people to develop or improve employment skills, or taking care of our vulnerable people. If you’ve got a great idea – we want to hear it!
The Council’s corporate plan, known as The Barnet Plan, sets our vision and strategy for the next 4 years. The plan focuses on four priorities over the next four years to help us realise our vision:
• Clean, safe and well run – through things like improving customer service; addressing anti-social behaviour like fly tipping and noise nuisance; continued investment in and improvements to the borough’s roads and pavements and street cleaning; and unlocking the potential of our parks and open spaces • Family Friendly – keeping children safe; building all young people’s life chances; and helping children have a healthy start in life while learning how to build resilience • Healthy – tackling issues like domestic abuse and gender-based violence; focusing on mental health and wellbeing; and addressing the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on our communities • Thriving – helping residents into work; implementing our Growth Strategy; building a new park town at Brent Cross and creating an efficient, convenient and reliable transport network that helps make Barnet a sustainable borough.
In the delivery of our vision we will be adopting preventative measures to help people remain healthy, happy and independent in all aspects of life and consider equalities in all that we do.
We want to support projects that help us to deliver on the above – the more areas covered, the better!
If you want to find out more about what we’re trying to achieve, have a read of The Barnet Plan!
To get started, create your project on Spacehive and get your project verified. You will then submit your pitch to the Crowdfund Barnet Fund via the Spacehive platform and launch your campaign.
To be considered by the council for a pledge, you should:
1. Launch your crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive bythe fund deadline
2. Showcase local support for your project in the form of backers.
Pitches to the fund will be considered typically 6 weeks after the fund deadline. If successful, you will receive a pledge towards your live crowdfunding campaign. The Spacehive team is on hand to share lots of advice on how to run a brilliant crowdfunding campaign.
Join the Spacehive team at our upcoming workshop, for more information and read the steps below to learn how to get involved.
1. SHARE YOUR IDEA + ATTEND A WORKSHOP
Complete our Project Idea Form as soon as possible to tell us about your idea and register for a workshop (see News & Events tab for more information).
2. CREATE YOUR PROJECT ON SPACEHIVE
Create your project page on Spacehive 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)
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 £5,000 (max 50% of target) during their live campaign. For example, a £10,000 campaign could get up to £4,000.
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.
Do you have an idea for a community project? Whether it be by enhancing high streets, neighbourhoods, or parks; or supporting vulnerable people and bringing communities together we want to hear from you!
To take part in Crowdfund Barnet's next funding round create your project on Spacehive and pitch to the fund via the platform.You'll start your crowdfunding campaign ahead to showcase support for your project ahead of assessment by Barnet Council, 6 weeks after the fund deadline.
Need some more advice before you create your project page? The Spacehive team are on hand to help you along the way. Click here to tell the Spacehive team about your idea, and you’ll receive feedback on how to get it ready for crowdfunding.
Crowdfund Barnet is about everyone across the borough coming together to bring local project ideas to life. You can pledge as little as £2 towards a project you want to help make happen.
Companies, foundations and public bodies interested in supporting projects alongside Barnet Council and its residents can contact support@spacehive.com, and we'll be in touch to help get you started.
The Barnet Council Carbon Reduction Crowd fund will be open to community groups across Barnet borough to fund projects specifically focussed on having a carbon reduction impact whilst benefiting the community.
Examples of projects that will be considered include:
Developing climate action plans and delivering training that will support reduction in carbon emissions. For example, community campaigns, purchasing bikes for the community.
Carbon reduction measures. For example, for replacing lightbulbs with LEDs, purchasing electric bikes for the community.
Large-scale carbon reduction and retrofit projects. For example, for insulation retrofitting or solar panel installation.
In May 2022, Barnet Council declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. We now need to go further and faster than ever before to tackle climate change and the impact on the planet and biodiversity loss, as well as on our local environment and our lives.
The Council’s corporate plan, known as Our Plan for Barnet 2023-2026, sets our vision and strategy for the next 3 years.
This fund will support projects that specifically contribute to reducing carbon emissions, as outlined under the Planet pillar in Our Plan for Barnet 2023-2026, which identifies Barnet’s ‘Journey to Net Zero’ as a key objective.
This will involve working with local people, communities, and businesses across the borough to make Barnet a Net Zero borough no later than 2042, by funding projects with that will have a tangible carbon reduction impact. Our vision is to create a place fit for the future whilst reducing carbon, through improved green infrastructure, education and training opportunities, green employment, and business opportunities.
Carbon reduction projects may have secondary benefits by ‘Enhancing the local environment’ and 'Enhancing green spaces’, other key objectives of our corporate plan, by making the built environment more sustainable or by increasing tree cover, for example. They will help us to create places that encourage communities to come together, have fun and improve their health and wellbeing, while helping us to manage the effects of a changing climate.
▪ Registered charitable industrial and provide society or charitable cooperative.
An assessment panel by Barnet Council will review all submitted projects before pledges are published on Spacehive to ensure that projects meet the required assessment criteria.
All applications must therefore consider the following funding criteria:
The panel will choose the pledge amount based on the scale, impact and total cost of the project. Up to 50% of the total campaign target can be funded.
The primary focus of projects should be to achieve carbon savings and all applications, where possible, should demonstrate the carbon and/or cost savings that will result from the project.
Where possible all applications should demonstrate how the project maximises co-benefits, i.e. wider environmental, social and economic benefits.
Smaller projects that cannot quantify carbon or cost savings (i.e. behaviour change projects) must include in their application an engagement strategy and monitoring plan. Please contact the Council if you need any extra support with supplying this information at: crowdfunding@barnet.gov.uk
If the panel choose to pledge your project £2,500- £15,000, the council will ask applicants to provide a quote for costs and a business case/feasibility study where necessary. As part of receiving a financial quote, an estimate of carbon reduction will also be provided from the supplier. Applicants will be supported/ given advice on how to do this by the Council if required.
Please note, the council will be applying these fund criteria flexibly so that we are able to support projects that will result in a tangible reduction in carbon emissions.
Projects not eligible for the Carbon Reduction Fund may still be eligible for the Crowdfund Barnet Fund.
The council will notify all project applicants on whether or not a pledge has been awarded. Projects will continue to fundraise online to meet their total target through crowdfunding pledges.
Projects that receive under £2,500 of funding will be required to provide a delivery report at the close of their projects. Projects that receive over £2,500 of funding may need to provide more regular progress updates on their projects as well as a closing delivery report for monitoring purposes, which should outline carbon saving, benefits to the community and lessons learned.
For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive at support@spacehive.com. For any Council related fund or eligibility questions please contact: crowdfunding@barnet.gov.uk
