We hope to support initiatives and organisations that tackle poverty and inequality within the borough and address key issues such as social isolation and loneliness, health, mental health and wellbeing, debt and money advice, skills and employment, digital inclusion, access to affordable food, fuel poverty, rural poverty, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport.
We particularly welcome bids that
• target deprived communities
• address rural poverty and help people to connect with others on the issues affecting them in relation to low income.
• consider the needs of everyone in the community, particularly people from different backgrounds, across different ages and with experience of disability. Examples might include asylum-seekers and refugees, gypsy and traveller communities, women in refuges, people with autism, low income pensioners, carers, care leavers and single parents
• could potentially be replicated across the whole borough or adapted to include rural areas and most isolated groups affected by poverty
• support fair pay and employment practices, including community education around worker led cooperative models
• have a positive impact on environmental and /or mental health and wellbeing,
• pro-actively de-stigmatise poverty
• empower local residents through advocacy and engagement
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.
We believe that lasting change is needed to: tackle the climate emergency; to see more children and young people have a better start in life; to create more good jobs; to have healthier communities, living longer more independent lives; to see more neighbourhoods that are great places to call home; and ensure an efficient and empowering council.
The Community Innovation fund would enable local bodies or volunteers to fund local projects that would give lasting benefits. It could be used to kick start innovative schemes at the heart of our communities.
We are looking forward to receiving innovative project ideas that will address issues such as:
• tackling the climate emergency
• enabling more children and young people to have a better start in life
• creating more good jobs
• supporting healthier communities
• enabling people to live longer more independent lives
• making neighbourhoods great places to call home
• Raising aspirations in our deprived wards
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 that could increase opportunities for people of all ages to overcome isolation, do more 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.
A gold standard project will hit more than one objective in our council plan, it will be innovative and will be delivered in a ‘high need’ area such as:
• Rural communities
• Deprived Wards
• Aimed at tackling rural poverty
• Social isolation
• Community transport
We are interested in projects that assist with the ‘Levelling up’ agenda and provide opportunities for our struggling communities to thrive.
1. SHARE YOUR IDEA + ATTEND A WORKSHOP
Complete our Project Idea Form as soon as possible to tell us about your project idea and knowledge of crowdfunding.
2. PROJECT PAGE AND PITCH BY 2ND NOVEMBER 2022
Create your project page on Spacehive which will match you to relevant funds.
3. VERIFICATION
The project costs and necessary permissions will be checked by Spacehive's verifiers. This involves checking quotes for all the major items and if you have landowner permission for your project.
4. CROWDFUNDING
Run your crowdfunding campaign in November. You must hit your target no later than 28th February 2023. Start by getting lots of small pledges from the community to show local support for your project. This will help unlock bigger pledges. The Spacehive team is on hand to share lots of advice on how to run a brilliant crowdfunding campaign.
5. PLEDGE
The council will review all project campaigns and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to £25,000/max 50% (or 75% across multiple council funds) in early December.
Note that 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 smaller pledges from local people.
6. HIT YOUR TARGET BY 28TH FEBRUARY AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT
To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre.
For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive on support@spacehive.com.
All projects taking part in the Cheshire West Crowd must be eligible for Spacehive. Please review Spacehive's eligibility criteria here.
The Council is looking to fund projects in this innovative way through the Cheshire West Crowd. These can be new or existing projects, but they’ll need to highlight to the Council the difference they’ll make to residents in west Cheshire.
Cheshire West and Chester Council will not directly or indirectly support the use of crowdfunding:
1. To fund or part fund statutory Council services apart from in exceptional circumstances.
2. To 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).
3. To projects that do not meet the objectives in our Council plan.
4. To support projects taking place outside Cheshire West and Chester.
For feedback on eligibility and for support to get your idea ready for crowdfunding, share it with the Spacehive team via our Project Idea Form.