{{'FundsSupport' | translate }}

• This fund will provide Capital investment to tackle the climate change emergency. 
• Project creators must evidence green-house gas reduction and be specific about volumes.

As well as making the Council a greener organisation, we will work with businesses and communities to ensure that our borough reduces its carbon footprint and that future generations are protected from climate change. We have a shared responsibility to act and there will be a real urgency to our response. While this is a real challenge it presents great opportunities to build a green economy, more active residents, less congestion, warmer homes, and a more efficient use of our resources.

Energy, Transport, Housing, Land Use, Waste and Recycling are priorities for this fund.  What we'll fund:  Projects that tackle the climate emergency by delivering quantifiable carbon benefits. Examples include but are not limited to:

•    Renewable energy projects
•    Energy efficiency projects
•    Heat pump projects
•    Zero or low carbon transport
•    Waste reduction
•    Natural capital/natural environment projects. 

Project creators pitching for Climate Change funding are encouraged to access free professional advice prior to submitting your project on the platform.  Please email your draft project idea ASAP to [email protected] to improve the likelihood of receiving the Council’s support through this fund.

• The borough producing less greenhouse gas

• Residents and businesses producing less greenhouse gas

• Improved access to alternative modes of transport such as buses, electric vehicles, cycling and walking

• More energy efficient homes and buildings

• Less waste and higher rates of recycling

When assessing your pitch, the following will be taken into account:

• The Council producing less greenhouse gas

• Residents and businesses producing less greenhouse gas

• Improved access to alternative modes of transport such as buses, electric vehicles, cycling and walking

• More energy efficient homes and buildings

• Less waste and higher rates of recycling

When assessing your pitch, the following will be taken into account:

• The degree of community support for your project in the form of pledges towards your crowdfunding campaign

• Delivering greenhouse gas reduction benefits

• Compliance with financial regulations - The Council has a set of financial and contract procedure rules that explain how all goods, works and services must be procured

• Compliance with all legal requirements

• Achieving best value

• Ensuring transparency, openness, non-discrimination and fair competition 

• Demonstrating probity, consistency, accountability and integrity

• Supporting the council’s corporate vision and new 2024-28 Borough Plan, Play your part towards a stronger future

• Capital projects - When considering support for capital projects (fixed items) or equipment, applicants are advised to check whether any planning permission or other authority permission is required for the project with the appropriate service.

1. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST / ATTEND THE WORKSHOP 

Project creators pitching for Climate Change funding are encouraged to access free professional advice prior to submitting your project on Spacehive’s platform.  Please email your draft project idea ASAP to [email protected] to improve the likelihood of receiving the Council’s support through this fund.

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 £10,000 / 75 % of their funding target should they demonstrate community support from 50+ backers and strongly align with the fund criteria.


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 to evidence that project outcomes have been met and promises have been delivered.  Terms and Conditions can be viewed here.

The fund will provide Capital investment to tackle the climate change emergency.  The science and evidence is clear - climate change poses a massive threat to our way of life and the time for action is now. We use the phrase 'climate emergency' to reinforce the urgency required. If we don't face up to our responsibility we will see more flooding, pollution, threats to wildlife and an uncertain future for the next and future generations.

While Government and international bodies should take the lead, we can make a big difference locally. Our ambition is to become a carbon neutral borough, reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2045 or earlier. Council emissions only make up 0.7 per cent of the borough's greenhouse gas emissions. As a council we will play our part and we will be carbon neutral by 2030, but we need to encourage and support others to reduce their emissions.

The UK is not currently going to meet its target of being carbon neutral by 2050, so there is a need to rapidly increase the rate of greenhouse gas reduction to ensure that west Cheshire makes its contribution to this national and international challenge.

This will require concerted action across industry, given the high level of manufacturing in the borough. We will also need to see more sustainable energy, waste, transport and land use. Every citizen has a role to play, and often small things will add up to a big difference.

If we get this right we will not only secure a better future for those that follow us, we will also support economic growth in new green industries, support healthier lifestyles and help tackle fuel poverty.

All projects taking part in the Cheshire West Crowd must be eligible for Spacehive. Please review Spacehive's eligibility criteria here.

For feedback on eligiblity and for support to get your idea ready for crowdfunding, share it with the Spacehive team via our Project Idea Form.

Cheshire West and Chester Council will not directly or indirectly support the use of crowdfunding to:

1. Fund or part fund statutory Council services apart from in exceptional circumstances.

2. 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. Projects that do not meet the objectives in our Council plan.

4. support projects taking place outside Cheshire West and Chester.

In addition, the council cannot support:

• Anything that does not respond to the Climate Emergency

• Ongoing revenue or maintenance costs

• Any costs incurred when putting together an application unless specifically authorised and funded via pre-development funding

• Loans or interest payments

• Anything party political, including supporting political organisations 

• Anything solely for religious purposes

• Lobbying against Council policy

• Anything that will bring the Council into disrepute

• Anything contrary to the Council’s financial regulations or Council policies

• Anything illegal

• Anything which is met by a Schools Pupil Premium Strategy

Any organisations planning to use funding to hand out separate grants to other people or organisations.

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:

1. Fund or part fund statutory Council services apart from in exceptional circumstances

2. 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. Support projects that do not meet the objectives in our Borough plan

4. 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]