There are two avenues for funding available:

• H&F Community Fund - small projects (projects up to £10,000 in total value)
• H&F Community Fund - large projects (projects over £10,001 in total value)

For small projects funds, the Council could fund (pledge) up to 50% of your project costs up to a maximum of £5,000.

For large projects, the Council could fund (pledge) up to 50% of the project cost up to a maximum pledge of £40,000.

For projects with a total value over £80,000, H&F could fund more than £40,000 in exceptional circumstances.

The reason for having a small and large fund is that, when project creators set up their fundraiser, large projects will be required to answer more in-depth questions and will be subject to more rigorous scrutiny than small projects.

Who can apply for funding?
H&F welcomes applications from constituted not-for-profit groups based in the Borough. This includes constituted charities, community groups, non-profit organisations, community interest and social value companies and schools.

We cannot fund:

• Businesses including SMEs, or any other profit-making organisation.
• Individuals acting in a personal or private capacity.
• Projects which seek to cover an organisations' on-going running costs.
• Projects with political aims, campaigns and lobbies.
• Projects that promote religious interests and objectives.

What kinds of projects are you interested in funding?

H&F is looking to support community-led initiatives that enhance civic buildings and spaces or that promote social inclusion.

H&F are particularly keen to see projects come forward that:

• raise awareness of the climate and ecological emergencies, could help to mitigate their effects, and/or increase engagement and participation with environmental initiatives and interventions.
• address social exclusion, promote social cohesion, and support vulnerable residents.
• promote resident health and wellbeing.
• improve the safety, cleanliness, and amenity of local streets, public spaces, and neighbourhoods.
• promote cultural and arts activities, celebrate H&F’s history including heritage features.
• improve the accessibility, sustainability, or effectiveness of local community facilities.
• create opportunities for young people and will bring benefits to the local economy. In developing projects, opportunities should be taken to deliver on as many of the above priorities as appropriate.

Current funding window

The deadline to get involved in this funding round is the 15th of April. This means that you need to have your project created on Spacehive, applied to the Community Fund and be ready to begin your crowdfunding campaign by this date. 

Join us for our next online workshop on the 26th of February from 12pm-1pm to find out more. 

Register for the workshop here. 

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1) Create a project page
Head to spacehive.com/create to get started.

Spacehive will help you develop your project idea so you are set up for success and ready to crowdfund. If you need some feedback, tell us about it here and we’ll guide you on how to begin. 

By sharing your project idea we can also share information with you on our upcoming events. 

2) Access Hammersmith & Fulham Council funds
Spacehive will connect you exclusively with Hammersmith & Fulham council funds on the platform. Here you will need to answer some key questions from the council regarding your project. Work with Spacehive to develop your project idea and put yourself in the best possible position to secure a contribution. 

The current deadline to have applied to the Hammersmith & Fulham funds is the 30th of September.

3) Share and collect pledges
Once your crowdfunding campaign is up and running, share your campaign via as many means possible, both online and offline. Start by securing support from your backers in the form of lots of small pledges to demonstrate local buy-in for your project. That’s what the council will want to see when they assess your project idea and hopefully make a pledge towards your campaign. 

4) Hit your target and deliver your project
Once you hit your crowdfunding target, you’ll receive your funds within a few weeks and you can start delivering your project.

To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre. 

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

H&F Hive gives residents with project ideas the ability to attract funding from their communities, the council, local businesses and foundations - all through one portal.

The programme brings people across the borough together through locally-led ideas that our communities want to help make happen. You can pledge as little as £2 towards a project you want to bring to life. Check out projects fundraising now as part of H&F Hive here.

Companies, foundations and public bodies interested in supporting projects alongside the Council should also get in touch on [email protected] so we can help get you started. 

We have included some of the most common quesitons below.

If you have any other questions, please visit the Spacehive help centre at https://help.spacehive.com/ or email Spacehive on [email protected]

Is my project eligible for Spacehive?

Projects need to be locally-rooted, tangible, and serve a community purpose.

If you have an idea for a project that can help your local area, then Spacehive is the place to raise funds for it.

It may be something simple and creative such as a street mural, or more ambitious such as repurposing a disused building for community use. 

It could also be for temporary projects, for example setting up local food production schemes, or fund emergency response packages for mutual aid groups. 

What's important is that your project is tangible. People who will back your campaign will want to see where their money has gone. 

While it's impossible to cater to all, your project should have local benefit and not just be for a select few to enjoy. Obviously the more people your project appeals to, the more chance you stand of running a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Projects must be in the UK, and can be led by any type of organisation or individual. Please note, being eligible to crowdfund on Spacehive does not necessarily mean your project is eligible for funds available on Spacehive - please check eligibility of the funds you're interested in pitching to. 

Looking for inspiration? Our project archive will give you a flavour of the types of projects that crowdfund with us.

When will we get the money we raise?

All the pledges from your campaign will be transfered to you after your campaign ends. If you receive a pledge from Hammersmith & Fulham 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.

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. These can be viewed here.

What advice do other project creators have for running a successful campaign?

Project creators who have been successful are a rich source of knowledge. Most advise being prepared to sell your idea, having a clear plan to deliver it, going the extra mile to woo big funders, and having a crowd before you crowdfund.

We went out and canvassed project creators who have run successful campaigns, asking them a simple question: what tips would you give to someone who wants to crowdfund a community project on Spacehive? Read their answers here. 
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To learn more about crowdfunding on Spacehive, visit the Help Centre. 

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

We're delighted to share that this crowdfunding programme and the partnership between Spacehive and Hammersmith & Fulham Council have been recognised as the ‘Partnership of the Year’ at the Planning Awards. 🏆 👏 🙌

This partnership is all about exploring new ways to support placemaking and locally-led development.

We’ve helped people lead projects that improve public spaces, enhance the local environment, and bring communities closer. Some of the key achievements so far include:

📚 12,000+ hours of training provided
🤝 916 volunteers engaged
👷‍♂️ 100 full and part-time jobs created

And together, we’ve raised over £1 million for local projects — increasing a £237,900 Community Infrastructure Levy investment by more than 300%.

We can't wait to support more community groups to come forward with their ideas and to continue this amazing work.