Key Dates

The next funding round is now open for groups anywhere in Kirklees who are aiming to start crowdfunding this spring. 

The deadline for project submissions is Wednesday 15 April. Your project will need to be fully costed and have all the necessary permissions, but you can find out more about this in the 'How it Works' sections on our Funds & Support page.

Join us for our next online workshop to find out more. 

Register here - Thursday the 5th of March 12-1pm

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See the below steps for how to get involved. 

1.    SHARE YOUR IDEA

Share your project idea as soon as possible so we can provide feedback and support you to get started. 

2.    CREATE YOUR PROJECT ON SPACEHIVE

Create your project page on Spacehive which will match you to the relevant funds. 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 when 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)
• Relevant insurances, policies, or qualifications (e.g. organisation constitution, safeguarding policy, certifications)
• 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 pledges will be made directly into the crowdfunding campaigns.

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. 

For any additional questions, please contact Spacehive at [email protected].

Growing Great Places is our main crowdfunding programme, supporting groups, organisations and individuals to set up and run meaningful projects in their community, to the benefit of local people and places.

Projects are successful because they are created and delivered by local people in local places across Kirklees. People know what the needs of their communities are, which often means other local people, groups and businesses will back them.

We’re able to promote other crowdfunding opportunities, and depending on the criteria, you may be eligible to apply for more than one fund for the same project.

Always keep an eye out for the latest funds available, to see how you can get involved.

Visit our Funds and Support page

Who can run a project with Growing Great Places?

Anyone who wants to make their community better can run a project with Growing Great Places. This includes:

• Local groups and organisations: Community groups, charities, schools, not-for-profit and other local organisations can start a project.
• Individuals: If you have a great idea to improve your community, you can start a project too!

Who can’t run a project?

• Businesses for profit: Projects aimed solely at generating profit for a business are not eligible.
• Political campaigns: Projects that promote political campaigns or candidates are not allowed.
• Illegal activities: Any project that involves illegal activities or promotes harm cannot be run.

Remember:

Your project should aim to make a positive impact on your community. Whether it's a new playground, a community garden, or a local event, we want to help you make it happen!

Criteria for other funds

Be mindful that other funding pots may have slightly different eligibility criteria. Always check the details of the specific fund you’re looking to create a project for. Visit our Funds and Support page

Depending on the criteria, you may be eligible to apply for more than one fund for the same project.

What does Growing Great Places offer, and who is it for?

Growing Great Places is all about helping you to bring people together to get a great idea off the ground in your local place. You might have a little idea that can have a big impact in your local neighbourhood. Or you might need some help growing support for an ambitious project that is just getting started.

We want everyone to be able to have a real stake in the places where we live, work or visit. By running a crowdfunding campaign with Growing Great Places, you will have the opportunity to involve backers in your project, spread the word, and connect with others who care about your local place.

What do we offer to support your crowdfunding campaigns?

Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are here to support you and make sure that your campaign has the best chance of succeeding. We run workshops and advice surgeries, as well as offering online guides and tips for success.

The Active Citizens and Places Team at Kirklees Council are keen to work with citizens and local organisations to make our places even better. Citizens have asked us to do more to recognise and celebrate our unique local places. Through Growing Great Places, we hope to pledge our support to local projects that are clearly backed by their local communities.

How do you find out more about Growing Great Places and other funds?

If you are interested in improving your local place and you want to have a voice in local decisions, Growing Great Places is for you. It is part of our work to grow a stronger local democracy here in Kirklees, from the ground up.

Use the sections below to find out key information about our available funding pots, eligibility criteria, how crowdfunding through Growing Great Places works, the support you can access and how to contact us for help.

We’re interested to hear about projects which positively influence local people and places, helping your community grow stronger. If you have a good sense that your project will benefit people in your community, then it’s probably a project worth pursuing.

Crowdfunding could work well for you if:

• You have a clear idea of what your project is, what it will achieve for your community and a solid plan to make it work.
• You have a story to tell that helps people see why your project will be good for the community and the people it is designed to reach.
• You know from local knowledge and your existing networks that people in your community may well contribute to your project, either by pledging money or spreading the word about it.
• You know how much your project will cost and are clear what the funds raised will be spent on – people like transparency.
• You are being realistic about the amount of funding you’re trying to raise and have given this considerable thought – don’t let over-reaching be your downfall.
• You have a team of no less than three people who can offer different skills – people who can organise, motivate, plan, ‘doers’, someone who understands social media and how to make it work for you. Look at our ‘Tips, tricks and skills’ section below for more on this.
• You and your team have the time to drive the project forward and keep momentum – sitting back and hoping it will just happen, won’t work.

If you can answer “yes” to most of these points, then crowdfunding may well be right for your project.

If in doubt, get in touch with us.

We’re always here to help, whether you want to explore more about how crowdfunding works, talk to us about an idea you have, or about a crowdfunding project you’re currently working on.

The easiest way to contact us is to email:

[email protected]

You can also phone us on the main Kirklees Council number:

01484 221 000

Just ask for the ‘Active Citizens and Places Team’ on the automated switchboard.

We want everyone to have a real stake in the places we live, work or visit. Growing Great Places has been supporting crowdfunding projects led by people in local places across Kirklees since June 2019. By running a crowdfunding campaign with Growing Great Places, you’ll have the opportunity to involve backers in your project, spread the word and connect with others who care about your local place.

Since launching, over 50 projects have been successfully funded through Growing Great Places, thanks to nearly 3,500 backers, raising over £600,000.

Crowdfunding through Growing Great Places is an opportunity for local groups like yours to take a small idea, engage local people and together influence your community’s future for the better.

Successful projects have included restoration and development of natural spaces, creating opportunities for people to access and enjoy the living environment around them. Some projects have encouraged local people to plant, grow, fix and mend. Others have redeveloped facilities to encourage more people to get involved with their local clubs and community groups.

Is it time to find out how your local group can crowdfund and have a growing impact and influence on your community?
 

Examples of successful projects

• The renovation of The Cabin Pre-school

The Cabin is an established pre-school and wrap-around childcare provider, serving the community to give access to affordable, buildings, childcare for all members of the community. Having replaced an old building, they then needed to renovate the outside space into an area fit for providing engaging activities for children of all ages visiting the pre-school. They raised £10,918 from 22 backers.
 

• Aspire Journeys

Working with older people and schools in Huddersfield, Aspire Journeys is about an exploration of cross-generational creativity, uniting older adults’ wisdom with young minds’ curiosity. The initiative embraces various storytelling forms and pays homage to Huddersfield’s heritage. It is a celebration of stories shaping our identity – a bridge between generations and a legacy weaving through time. They raised £10,585, from 21 backers.
 

• A church fit for the future

Christ Church is an active local hub for residents and parishioners alike. New Mill does not have many community buildings, and they are remote from Huddersfield Town. The Church aims to be free of fossil fuels by 2030 and provide a warm, welcoming and inclusive hub for the community. As part of their initiative to become more environmentally friendly, these funds are for roof insulation which will save 1.3 tons of CO2 per annum. In They raised £7,116, from 24 backers.
 

You can find lots of other great examples on our Projects page.

You’re running an online crowdfunding campaign, so online promotion and networks are really key.

We’ve provided some advice below, but you can also watch some useful videos from Spacehive: Advice and answers from the Spacehive Team

Dedicate time to learn how social media works – social media will be important to the success of your project. You might be lucky enough that a member of your team is already social media savvy, but what if you don’t? Look out for local opportunities, where you can sign up to learn the basics.

Sharing to your online networks – if you’ve already got a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, then you’re likely to already have a network of people you can share your project with. Once your project is live on the Growing Great Places website, share it on social media.

• At launch, talk proudly about your project and what you’re trying to achieve.
• Ask people to visit your project webpage to find out more.
• Tell people how they can make a pledge to back the project (even £2 will do!)
• Ask them if they will share your post on their own social media.
• Post regular updates of how your project is going.
• Photos or short videos can be powerful for encouraging people to take a closer look at your project.
   

Local groups, organisations near to you – if you’re aware of other groups or organisations in your local place, get in touch with them and let them know about your project. If they’re on social media, they might be happy to share your updates with their own network. Encouraging others to get involved also helps to grow your local partnerships, which might bear fruit in other ways.

Local businesses – businesses in your local area might take the opportunity to contribute to your project to connect with the communities. Some larger businesses might have a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach, which is a way they can give back to the community through various means. This can include volunteering, local fundraising and donations, so it’s worth looking into what businesses are operating in your area.

Here are some of the most common questions below. If your question is not included here, please visit the Spacehive help centre at https://help.spacehive.com/ or email Spacehive on [email protected] or Kirklees Council on [email protected]

What is Spacehive?

Spacehive is a crowdfunding website where people can raise money for projects that improve their local area and bring communities together. This could be anything from fixing up a community garden, buying equipment for a support group, to organising a neighborhood street party. Kirklees Council have partnered with Spacehive for this programme because of their expertise in civic crowdfunding. 

When will we get the money we raise?

If you receive a pledge from Kirklees Council, then you must hit your funding target in order to receive it. Our funding is tied to the specific outcomes of the project so if you don’t hit your target, our pledge will be removed and you will receive the remaining amount. Once you hit your target funds will take up to 2 weeks to arrive in your bank account.

How do people pledge to my project?

People can pledge by visiting your project page on Spacehive.com and clicking the “Back this project” button. You will be able to pledge to campaigns via debit/credit card, BACS or Direct Debit.

If people give me cash does this count towards my target?

Only funds raised online count towards your target as we have no visibility of any other funds collected. Ask your supporters to donate online via your Spacehive page rather than sending the money directly to the organisation’s bank account! 

Are there any fees to use Spacehive?
Spacehive do not charge a fee to register your project, however, Spacehive does charge a success fee if projects successfully reach their fundraising target. There are also transactions fees. All fees are included within the project budget and clearly displayed: Read about the fees