Community Projects - Grants and Funding

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Grants and Funding

The County Council is sometimes able to provide grants or funding towards practical environmental projects that are proposed by the residents of Lancashire. The purpose of the grants is to help you work with the County Council to build a better future within the county. The most effective way of getting this done is by working together.

The main sources of help for environmental community projects from Lancashire County Council are set out in these pages. Lancashire Environmental Fund (LEF) might also be able to help, their details are listed below.

The funding world is ever changing, so much so that it is difficult to list the funders who might be able to assist with individual projects. However, we have built up an excellent understanding of which funders might be most suitable, so please do contact us if you feel that your project could benefit from guidance on this. We have also provided a link to a national funding search engine to help you to broaden your search.

Environmental and Community Projects Budget

The Environmental and Community Project Service has worked with many community groups and organisations across Lancashire on a broad range of environmental improvement projects, providing professional support with management, securing funding, consultation, design, and planning. The service has a modest project budget which can be used to support project development activity directly or to help secure external funds.

If you believe that your community organisation and project activity match the applicability criteria for the Environmental and Community Projects service, and would like our assistance with your community-led environmental project, please complete and return the Project Request Form.

Green Partnership Awards (GPA)

The Partnership is committed to supporting local, community based initiatives. This is because we believe that by encouraging people to act locally in their own community we can improve Lancashire not only for today but also for the future. GPA assists groups to carry out projects to improve their local environment by providing funding and professional advice. Grants are available to all community groups and organisations in Lancashire and are awarded in the area of £500. Further information and application forms for GPA can be found on the Green Partnership Awards webpage.

Other Lancashire County Council Grants

Lancashire County Council may be able to provide funding through other services. Information about these additional Lancashire County Council grants can be found on the Grants, Funds and Awards website.

Under the heading of Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS) Grants you can find information about:

Local Member Grants
The Local Initiatives Fund
Central Gateway Grants

External Funding

There are many funding and finance opportunities available to community groups and voluntary organisation in Lancashire. The Environmental and Community Projects service may be able to help the groups we are working with to secure the funding required to complete projects. If you would like to find external funding available specific to your project, www.fundingcentral.org.uk provides a search engine to highlight the funding organisations applicable for your project.

Farington Community Fund

Lancashire County Council has made available £100,000 to support the Farington Community Fund. The scheme is managed and administered by Lancashire County Council in partnership with South Ribble Borough Council. The fund is available to support community and environmental activity within the parish of Farington and for the benefit of the residents of Farington. All applicants must be from a voluntary organisation or group and must meet the two criteria above.

We are looking for innovative and creative projects that will address local needs and that can clearly demonstrate the difference the project will make to local people. We are not being prescriptive about what we will and won't support but applicants must be very clear about what is it they want the grant for and to be able to demonstrate clear outputs. We will prioritise applications that show value for money, combined with clear objective and sustainability.

Further information and application forms can be found on the Farington Community Fund page.