Crowdfund Enfield is a partnership between the Enfield Council and Spacehive. It provides an online platform that enables community groups to promote projects that will improve their local area or bring communities together through crowdfunding. Local groups can attract funding from residents, businesses, and the Council to deliver local initiatives.

As part of the programme, the Council has made available a £50,000 Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) fund for Round 1, with a maximum pledge of £5,000 per project, up to a maximum of 70% of the project target. Groups will therefore need to crowdfund at least 30% of their project costs. As part of the programme, there will be lots of advice and support available to projects to help them raise the funds they need.

Current funding dates

The deadline to get involved in this funding round is the 22nd of April. This means that you need to have your project created on Spacehive, applied to the NCIL fund and be ready to begin your crowdfunding campaign by this date. 

Join us at one of our upcoming workshops to find out more:

• Wednesday the 18th of March, 12-1pm - register here
• Thursday the 19th of March, 12-1pm - register here

Who can apply for funding?

Crowdfund Enfield welcomes applications from constituted not-for-profit organisations based in the borough.

This includes:

• Charities and community groups

• Community interest companies and social enterprises

• Resident associations and forums

• Schools and other educational institutions

We cannot fund:

• Businesses, including SMEs or other profit-making organisations

• Individuals acting in a personal or private capacity

• Projects seeking to cover an organisation’s ongoing running costs

• Projects with political aims, campaigns or lobbying activity

• Projects that primarily promote religious interests and objectives

What kinds of projects are we interested in funding?

We are looking to support community-led initiatives that improve local places, facilities, and services, and that bring people together. Projects should demonstrate clear community benefit and help deliver Enfield’s priorities for inclusive growth, health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

We are particularly keen to see projects that:

• Improve community facilities, green spaces, and the local environment

• Support climate action, biodiversity, and sustainability initiatives

• Promote social inclusion, cohesion, and equality

• Enhance health, wellbeing, and opportunities for young people

• Improve the safety, cleanliness, and amenity of local streets, public spaces, and neighbourhoods

• Celebrate culture and heritage in Enfield

• Strengthen community resilience and provide support to vulnerable residents

Projects are encouraged to deliver across multiple priorities where possible.

Current funding dates

The deadline to get involved in this funding round is the 22nd of April. This means that you need to have your project created on Spacehive, applied to the NCIL fund and be ready to begin your crowdfunding campaign by this date. 

Join us at one of our upcoming workshops to find out more:

• Wednesday the 18th of March, 12-1pm - register here
• Thursday the 19th of March, 12-1pm - register here

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The Process:

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 the Spacehive team will guide you on how to begin your campaign. We can also tell you about any upcoming workshops. 

You are encouraged to create your project early, to unlock support from the Spacehive team.

2.    CREATE YOUR PROJECT ON SPACEHIVE AND PITCH (APPLY) TO FUNDS

Once you create your project page on Spacehive, you will be matched you to the Enfield council NCIL fund. This is the fund associated with the programme. Here you will be asked specific questions from the council about the impact of your prject. 

 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 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)

4.    LAUNCH YOUR CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

Once verified, launch your crowdfunding campaign. 

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 and successful projects can expect to receive a pledge of up to £5,000 (max 70% of target) during their live campaign.

For example, a £6,000 project could get a pledge of £4,200 while a £12,000 campaign would be limited to a maximum pledge of £5,000.  

 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].

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. 

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

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 Enfield 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].