1. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST / ATTEND THE 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. Register here to join an upcoming online workshop on Tuesday 1 April at 4pm.
2. CREATE YOUR PROJECT AND PITCH FOR COUNCIL FUNDS BY 4 JUNE 2025
Create your project page and Spacehive will match you to council funds. Complete your pitch(es), where the council asks some additional questions about your project. Depending on the nature of your project, you may also be matched with other funds available in your area. Be sure to declare any pre-campaign funding at this stage so it doesn’t incur Spacehive fees. It is advantageous for you to complete these steps as early as possible to enable you to attract plenty of community backing ahead of the Council funding assessment.
3. SUBMIT YOUR IDEA FOR VERIFICATION BY 4 JUNE 2025
Spacehive’s verification team will check your project information. Where appropriate, please be sure to gather and share the following as soon as possible (ideally in advance of the deadline) to ensure speedy verification:
-
project costs with quotes
-
planning, landowner, highway or any other necessary permissions
-
relevant council service permissions
-
governance evidence including bank statement and relevant policies.
4. RUN YOUR CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
Once verified, start your crowdfunding campaign by getting lots of pledges from the community to show local support for your project ahead of assessment. This will help you to unlock bigger pledges. A typical crowdfunding campaign runs for 6-12 weeks. You must hit your funding target by November 2025.
Please note Cheshire West and Chester Council will not be the first organisation to pledge to your project and will want to see community support and backing, in the form of pledges from local people. A minimum of 20 backers must be secured for your project to be submitted for assessment. Spacehive and the Council are on hand to share information on how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.
5. ASSESSMENT AND PLEDGING
Your project must reach a minimum of 20 backers to be submitted for assessment. Gold standard projects could receive up to a maximum of £20,000 / 75 % of their funding target should they demonstrate community support from 50+ backers and align with the majority of these six co-produced missions for the borough:
-
Starting well
-
Tackling hardship and poverty
-
Resilient people living their best lives
-
Opportunity in a fair local economy
-
Neighbourhood pride
-
Greener communities
Potential project creators should note, to date, most eligible projects received 50% of their funding target (in the region of £5,000 to £10,000) from Cheshire West and Chester Council. Therefore, it’s recommended to reach out to other potential funders early i.e. businesses, charitable foundations.
6. HIT YOUR TARGET BY NOVEMBER 2025 AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT
Your project supporters love to hear how you’re getting on. Use the tool on your project page to post regular updates and/or photographs. For tips and tricks to help you hit your funding target click here.
To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre.
For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive on [email protected].
7. COMPLETION OF YOUR ONLINE IMPACT REPORT
As part of your pitch for funding, you agreed to complete an online impact report once your project is delivered. This is shared with backers to your campaign and the Council. You can find a step-by-step guide to impact reporting here.
Impact reporting is a mandatory requirement following the completion of your project as evidence that project outcomes have been met and promises have been delivered. Terms and Conditions can be viewed here.
Should you have any questions about this process, Spacehive’s Project Success Team is happy to help – simply email: [email protected] for assistance.
Community Innovation Fund
Community Innovation Fund
Cheshire West and Chester Council is committed to building greener, fairer, and stronger communities.
Working with common purpose alongside our residents, public services, and businesses, we will harness the strengths, hopes and dreams of our communities so that fewer people will be held back or left behind. We will also have a relentless focus on value for money, stretching our collective resources and innovating to make a positive difference.
The Community Innovation Fund will enable local organisations, charities, the voluntary community and faith sector and CICs to fund local projects that give lasting benefits. It could be used to kick start innovative schemes at the heart of our communities.
We look forward to receiving innovative project ideas that address challenges experienced by rural communities and projects that align with these six co-produced missions for the borough:
• Starting well
• Tackling hardship and poverty
• Resilient people living their best lives
• Opportunity in a fair local economy
• Neighbourhood pride
• Greener communities
Project must reach a minimum of 20 backers to be submitted for assessment. Gold standard projects could receive up to a maximum of £20,000 / 75 % of their funding target should they demonstrate community support from 50+ backers and align with the majority of the above six co-produced missions for our borough.
Potential project creators should note, to date, most eligible projects received 50% of their funding target (in the region of £5,000 to £10,000) from Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Successful projects could be as diverse as equipping or hiring a kitchen to teach people to cook healthy meals affordably or to grow their own vegetables or gain some experience in catering and serving. It could be used to assist with setting up healthy exercise options or sustainable transport for the local community that increases opportunities for people of all ages to overcome isolation, join after school activities, gain work experience or train or retrain. It could be used to support Council owned assets handed over to the local community or improve public realm projects.
We believe in a future where people are more empowered to help themselves to develop their potential, take responsibility for their wellbeing and can help others. It’s that old saying about giving a person a fish and they eat for a day but teach them to fish and they can feed themselves for life.
You can view successful projects here.
1. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST / ATTEND THE 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. Register here to join an upcoming online workshop on Tuesday 1 April at 4pm.
2. CREATE YOUR PROJECT AND PITCH FOR COUNCIL FUNDS BY 4 JUNE 2025
Create your project page and Spacehive will match you to council funds. Complete your pitch(es), where the council asks some additional questions about your project. Depending on the nature of your project, you may also be matched with other funds available in your area. Be sure to declare any pre-campaign funding at this stage so it doesn’t incur Spacehive fees. It is advantageous for you to complete these steps as early as possible to enable you to attract plenty of community backing ahead of the Council funding assessment.
3. SUBMIT YOUR IDEA FOR VERIFICATION BY 4 JUNE 2025
Spacehive’s verification team will check your project information. Where appropriate, please be sure to gather and share the following as soon as possible (ideally in advance of the deadline) to ensure speedy verification:
project costs with quotes
planning, landowner, highway or any other necessary permissions
relevant council service permissions
governance evidence including bank statement and relevant policies.
4. RUN YOUR CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
Once verified, start your crowdfunding campaign by getting lots of pledges from the community to show local support for your project ahead of assessment. This will help you to unlock bigger pledges. A typical crowdfunding campaign runs for 6-12 weeks. You must hit your funding target by November 2025.
Please note Cheshire West and Chester Council will not be the first organisation to pledge to your project and will want to see community support and backing, in the form of pledges from local people. A minimum of 20 backers must be secured for your project to be submitted for assessment. Spacehive and the Council are on hand to share information on how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.
5. ASSESSMENT AND PLEDGING
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s funding assessment weeks:
Assessment 1: w/c 7 July 2025
Assessment 2: w/c 6 October 2025.
Your project must reach a minimum of 20 backers to be submitted for assessment. Gold standard projects could receive up to a maximum of £20,000 / 75 % of their funding target should they demonstrate community support from 50+ backers and align with the majority of these six co-produced missions for the borough:
Starting well
Tackling hardship and poverty
Resilient people living their best lives
Opportunity in a fair local economy
Neighbourhood pride
Greener communities
Potential project creators should note, to date, most eligible projects received 50% of their funding target (in the region of £5,000 to £10,000) from Cheshire West and Chester Council. Therefore, it’s recommended to reach out to other potential funders early i.e. businesses, charitable foundations.
6. HIT YOUR TARGET BY NOVEMBER 2025 AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT
Your project supporters love to hear how you’re getting on. Use the tool on your project page to post regular updates and/or photographs. For tips and tricks to help you hit your funding target click here.
To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre.
For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive on [email protected].
7. COMPLETION OF YOUR ONLINE IMPACT REPORT
As part of your pitch for funding, you agreed to complete an online impact report once your project is delivered. This is shared with backers to your campaign and the Council. You can find a step-by-step guide to impact reporting here.
Impact reporting is a mandatory requirement following the completion of your project as evidence that project outcomes have been met and promises have been delivered. Terms and Conditions can be viewed here.
Should you have any questions about this process, Spacehive’s Project Success Team is happy to help – simply email: [email protected] for assistance.
Cheshire West and Chester Council will not directly or indirectly support the use of crowdfunding to:
Fund or part fund statutory Council services apart from in exceptional circumstances
Support raising of investment for private, profit making businesses unless the businesses are properly structured Community Interest Partnerships or Cooperatives (unless in exceptional circumstances to be considered on a case by case basis)
Support projects that do not meet the objectives in our Borough plan
Support projects taking place outside Cheshire West and Chester.
For feedback on eligibility and for support to get your idea ready for crowdfunding, email: [email protected]