The next round of funding is now open with a deadline to apply of the 15th of April 2026.

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. 

Come to our online workshop in on Thursday the 26th of February at 1.30pm to find out more.

In this workshop we will cover:

• Hear about funding available to help make your ideas happen.
• Get advice on creating your project and how to run an amazing crowdfunding campaign.
• Join interactive breakout rooms to access specialised support for your project.

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1.    SHARE YOUR IDEA + ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Go to  https://www.spacehive.com/create ​​​​as soon as possible to tell us about your idea and to get started. 

2.    CREATE YOUR PROJECT ON SPACEHIVE

Create your project page on Spacehive which will match you to the funds associated with the programme. You are encouraged to create your project early, to unlock support from the Spacehive team. 

 3.    GET YOUR PROJECT VERIFIED (you must be in verificaton by the deadline of the 15th of April 2026.)

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 where 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 Partnership will review all projects and successful projects will receive the pledge directly onto their campaign. Projects must hit their target in order to receive the funds from the partnership. 

• Projects in Boston and South Holland can receive a maximum pledge of £5k, up to 50% of project target 
• Projects in East Lindsey can receive a maximum pledge of £10k, up to 60% of project target 

Where projects have significant impact across multiple local authority areas, or where multiple funds are pledging to the same project, project creators can receive a combination of pledges with the maximum contribution increased to 65% of the crowdfunding target.

 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 on [email protected].

Along with getting pledges from the community, projects across Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland can pitch for council funding. A total of £90,000 is available across the three areas and East Lindsey District Council has recently increased its funding by an additional £40,000. 

• Projects in Boston and South Holland can receive a maximum pledge of £5k, up to 50% of project target 
• Projects in East Lindsey can receive a maximum pledge of £10k, up to 60% of project target  

Where projects have significant impact across multiple local authority areas, or where multiple funds are pledging to the same project, the maximum contribution increased to 65% of the crowdfunding target.

Who can apply:

• Projects will need to take place within the electoral boundaries of Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland. If you are not sure if your project falls within this area please email [email protected]

The Partnership can support projects pitched by:

• Registered charities

• CICs

• Constituted community groups

• Public bodies such as Parish Councils and schools - if delivery benefits wider community

• Faith groups, if the project pitched features non-religious activities and demonstrate the activity is inclusive and does not promote a religious view

Projects pitched by individuals & privately held companies, or commercial activities & party political promotion, are not eligible to receive funding.

Eligibility for the Community Fund
Projects should help to achieve at least one of the following desired outcomes:

• Improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of the local community

• Enhance lives through events and activities

• Build stronger communities 

• Help to tackle barriers and challenges many of us experience in life, such as poverty, ill health, distance from services, social isolation/loneliness

• Invest in and maintain facilities we rely on for activities to take place

• Increase Physical activity levels

• Connect and integrate people into their local community

Visit the Spacehive Help Desk to get immediate answers to your questions. You will also find lots of articles and resources sharing best practice tips on how to run a crowdfunding campaign. 

If you have a specific question about the South & East Lincolnshire Crowd programme, you can email Spacehive on [email protected].

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Is my project eligible for the Spacehive platform?

Projects need to be locally-rooted, tangible, and serve a community purpose. General charitable giving campaigns or funds to start a new commercial business are not a good fit. 

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

Is my project eligible for funding from South & East Lincolnshire Crowd programme

Please see the fund section for a full breakdown. We have provided a quick overview below. 

• Projects will need to take place within the electoral boundaries of Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland. If you are not sure if your project falls within this area please email [email protected]
• Projects need to be not-for-profit in nature and benifit the local community 
• Individuals and private businiesses cannot apply 

When will we get the money we raise?

If you receive a pledge from the South East Lincolnshire Partnership, 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.

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.