The Growing Great Places crowdfunding programme will be running a Spring 2020 funding round in with a deadline of the 24th of March to get involved. Along with pledges from your local community, there is an opportunity to get up to £5,000 from the council towards your crowdfunding campaign. 

Read below to understand how it works and how to get involved.

1.    EXPRESSION OF INTEREST/ ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Complete our Expression of Interest Form as soon as possible to inform us of your project idea and knowledge of crowdfunding. A member of the team will be in touch to provide you with the necessary information about future events and any support you may need to help get your project started.

We will be running free local workshops on the 28th of January and the 4th of February which we encourage you to attend. Click here for more information on the workshops and to register. 

2.    PROJECT PAGE AND PITCH

Create your project page on Spacehive which will match you to the Growing Great Places fund. Here Kirklees Council will ask you some additional questions about your project. You must pitch to the Growing Great Places fund by the 24th of March 2020!

3.    VERIFICATION

The project costs and necessary permissions will be checked by independent verifiers, Locality. This involves checking quotes for all the major items and if you have land owner permission for your project.

4.    CROWDFUNDING

Run your crowdfunding campaign between April and July 2020. Start by getting lots of small pledges from the community to show local support for your project. This will help unlock bigger pledges.

5.    PLEDGE

Kirkless Council will review all project campaigns and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge from the council in mid May.

6. HIT YOUR TARGET AND DELIVER YOUR PROJECT

Projects crowdfunding as part of this programme can receive a pledge of up to 50% of their target up to £5,000.

Please note that the 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 smaller pledges from local people, before they pledge to your campaign. 

We are interested in hearing about projects which bring people together to get involved in making your community better. Tell us how your project will involve and include a wide range of local people and will also tap into local energy, skills, assets and creativity.

We are interested in supporting projects that can show how they will contribute to one, or preferably more than one, of the shared outcomes in the Kirklees Council Corporate plan.

Our shared outcomes are:

• Best Start - children have the best start in life.
• Well - people are as well as possible for as long as possible.
• Independent - people live independently and have control over their lives.
• Aspire and Achieve - people have aspiration to achieve their ambitions through education, training, employment and lifelong learning.
• Sustainable economy - we have sustainable economic growth and provides good employment for and with communities and businesses.
• Safe and Cohesive - people live in cohesive communities, feel safe and are protected from harm.
• Clean and green - people experience a high quality, clean, sustainable and green environment.

For more detail on our outcomes please look at our Corporate Plan 2018-20: kirklees.gov.uk

Kirklees Council is unlikely to pledge towards projects that:

• Help only one individual or a very limited number of people.
• Have in the current financial year, already received a grant of funding from the Council for the same costs of the project as the funding from the Growing Great Places pledge funding will support/pay for.  
• Other funding/grants from the Council for different items/project costs to those that the pledge will fund,   would be viewed as match or complementary funding.
• Do not promote community cohesion.
• Are to be managed by a group or individual that received a previous grant that was not managed satisfactorily.
• Are raising funds for works or equipment already committed, bought or completed.
• Solely or predominantly benefit people who live outside the Kirklees Council authority boundary.
• Overtly or exclusively promote a Political agenda.
• Overtly or exclusively promote a religious agenda.
• Interfere with Council business or would be a reputational risk.
• Have unauthorised or significant financial implications for the council including increased maintenance or resource costs