The fund provides opportunities to dream up projects ranging from picnics to paintings or flower beds to family days! We're interested in hearing from anyone with projects that will bring local communities into parks and green spaces. Events should be open to the public and free of charge for entry. Improvements should be designed to benefit the public and open to all.

Love Leeds Parks is interested in funding projects that may focus on;

• Resources to develop a community garden or orchard;

• Delivering green space improvements;

• Organising educational opportunities, such as a series of nature walks, which may include informative handouts or learning resources;

• Producing and installing historic/heritage/environmental information boards;

• Establishing a new, or enhancing an existing, habitat, such as creating pollinator beds, or bringing a neglected area back to life;

• Engaging activities that bring local residents together across the community parks and green spaces in Leeds.

The We Love Leeds Parks Fund will support projects that: 

• Improve park facilities, environment or biodiversity;

• Increase the number of new park users in Leeds;

• Improve accessibility for green spaces;

• Bring communities together;

• Increase volunteering opportunity;

• Conserve and enrich a park's heritage;

• Tackle the impacts of climate change and encourage nature recovery;

• Enhance physical and mental wellbeing of local residents;

• Drive positive and lasting change for local areas. 

All projects seeking support will be expected to complete a set of questions when pitching to the fund to determine the eligibility of their projects. The pitch is where you explain why your project deserves a grant from Love Leeds Parks. Follow our video here.

Love Leeds Parks will consider these responses to determine if an activity is eligible. Projects will also need to demonstrate that they have local support for the activity proposed prior to project assessment. This will be through pledges offered on its Spacehive campaign. You are therefore advised to start your campaign as soon as possible after the deadline. Projects are also able to upload funds raised offline and upload funds raised pre-campaign to evidence existing support. Find out more here.

Projects will need to evidence both fund eligibility and local support to be considered for a pledge.

This fund was set up to inspire community-led organisations to develop creative and exciting projects that bring the people of Leeds into their local parks with activities or improvements.

• Projects can expect a pledge of up to £1,500 towards their crowdfunding target. Priority will be given to projects with a target below £10,000. Projects must have spent funding by December 2024.
• A pledge consideration from the We Love Leeds Parks Fund will be based on projects receiving support from 10 backers or crowdfunding 10% of the overall crowdfunding campaign target prior to pitch assessment. 
• Love Leeds Parks won’t be the first to pledge to your project and will want to see community support and backing, in the form of pledges from local people towards your campaign.
• Getting lots of small pledges will help attract bigger pledges through expression of local appetite! The maximum pledge (grant) contribution from the fund is up to 80% of your target and is capped at a total of £1,500.

• Your project must be based in a Leeds public and free-to-access green space;
   
• Your project must be of benefit to local residents in Leeds City Council's working area;
   
• You must deliver your project as you describe in your project page, you must update Spacehive, Love Leeds Parks and the landowner if you need to make any changes to your project;
   

• You must update Love Leeds Parks and all your backers on the progress of your project (through posting updates to your project page);
   

• You must report on the impact of your delivered project to Love Leeds Parks and all your backers (through the Impact Report function on Spacehive).

Projects submitted by:

• Community Interest Companies

• Registered Charities

• Community groups

The following are not eligible to apply to the We Love Leeds Parks Fund and cannot be supported by the crowdfunding programme:

• Projects that have already taken place;

• Projects outside the Leeds City Council area;

• Projects that are not open to the public, free of charge for entry;

• Projects without the expressed consent of the landowner(s); 

• Projects led by privately held companies;

• Projects led by Publicly Listed Companies;

• Projects led by Other Public Bodies or Statutory service providers ;

• Projects proposing for-profit projects;

• Projects with a political affiliation;

• Projects by Councils.