£1,000 grant
Our £1,000 believe housing community grant supports the setting up of new groups and established groups to deliver activities or projects that will help make a real difference to people’s lives and well-being.
We are giving organisations the opportunity to apply for grant funding up to £1,000 to support community investment programmes and to deliver innovative projects that put our customers on a pathway to improving their lives. While open to projects supporting all of the priorities listed below, we’d be particularly interested to hear from projects that help to tackle the issues around the cost of living crisis.
our key themes
Our £1,000 community grant is one strand of our community funding initiative. We welcome applications for projects that meet one of our key themes:
- Health and well-being: improving mental and physical health as well as building the confidence of individuals
- Employability and training: including volunteering and other upskilling activities
- Increasing household income: activities including debt and benefit advice, feeding families, money support, and employing people
- A greener, fairer future: by reducing, reusing and recycling
- Tackling inequalities as a result of the cost of living crisis.
To apply for this grant, your project must also be of benefit to the local community where we have housing. The grant aims to kick-start a project by funding revenue costs and up to 60% capital costs.
Please be aware this is not a core funding grant and cannot be used to fund ongoing costs of existing groups/activities.
Note: Groups can apply twice in a financial year for the £500 grant or once per financial year for the £1,000 grant. Groups can not apply for both the £500 and £1,000 grants in the same financial year. All reporting information must be submitted to believe housing before an organisation can apply for a second grant. Projects must start within four months of application being submitted.
locations
| Bearpark | Belmont | Bowburn | Brandon |
| Brasside | Cassop | Carrville | Claypath |
| Coxhoe | Browney | Crossgate | Croxdale |
| Elvet | Esh Winning | Framwellgate Moor | Gilesgate |
| Gilesgate Moor | High Pittington | Kelloe | Langley Moor |
| Littletown | Ludworth | Meadowfield | Merryoaks |
| Neville’s Cross | New Brancepeth | Newton Hall | Pity Me |
| Quarrington Hill | Shadforth | Sherburn Village | Sherburn Hill |
| Sherburn Road | Sherburn Road Estate | Ushaw Moor | West Rainton |
| Witton Gilbert |
| Blackhall Colliery | Blackhall Rocks | Hesleden | Acre Rigg |
| Chapel Hill | Denehouse | Eden Hill | Howletch |
| Passfield | Sunny Blunts | Horden | Easington Colliery |
| Easington Village | Shotton Colliery | South Hetton | Haswell |
| Haswell Plough | Hawthorn | Wheatley Hill | Thornley |
| Wingate | Water Avens Village | Station Town | Deaf Hill |
| Trimdon Colliery | Trimdon Village | Byron | Denehouse |
| Deneside | Eastlea | Harbour | Milldale |
| Northlea | Parkside | Princess Road | Seaton |
| Westlea | Dawdon | Murton | Dalton-le-Dale |
| Hutton Henry | Castle Eden | Hetton-le-Hole | Chilton Moor |
| Newbottle | Ryhope |
| Auckland Park | Billy Row | Bishop Auckland | Chilton |
| Coundon | Coundon Grange | Crook | Eldon Lane |
| Escomb | Fir Tree | Frosterley | Howden-le-Wear |
| Hunwick | Leeholme | Middlestone Moor | Oakenshaw |
| Stanhope | Sunnybrow | Tindale Crescent | Tow Law |
| Wearhead | West Auckland | Westgate | Willington |
| Witton-Le-Wear | Wolsingham |
more about the grant
- Start-up costs for a not-for profit-community group
- Projects with an element of fixed capital costs up to 60% of the grant.
- Activities that support people to develop new skills, gain a qualification or to access work experience leading to increased employability.
- Projects that increase levels of health and wellbeing such as a healthy eating workshop, events or fitness activities
- Art and craft events and activities leading to improved mental wellbeing or reduced isolation.
- Activities that reduce anti-social behaviour and enable people to feel safe in their communities creating an increased sense of belonging.
- Supporting activities that encourage social integration, develop sustainable communities and start-up projects.
- Costs can be considered for sessional workers or hiring in coaches, however we are unable to fund existing staff. Community activities which can include buying equipment.
- Contributing towards marketing and promotional costs to increase participation in activities up to the value of £200
- Contributing towards venue hire and rent up to up to a maximum of £300.
We want a number of our customers to be involved in the projects we fund, and a minimum of 15% of beneficiaries need to be believe housing tenants. If you are unsure about this element of the reporting, please contact the Community Investment Team by calling 0300 1311 999 before submitting your application.
We welcome applications from:
- Registered and exempt charities
- Community groups
- Schools
- Social enterprises
- Voluntary groups
- Community Interest Companies
- Town, Parish or Community Councils
- Faith groups/venues
- Individuals
- Private companies or ‘for-profit’ organisations
- Party political groups
- Those whose objectives and ethos do not meet believe housing’s charitable objectives.
To be eligible for the £1,000 grant, your projects must take place over a minimum period of three months and activities must take place at least once a month.
Shorter projects with higher outcomes and projects that engage long term will be looked upon more favourably.
To apply for this grant, your funding request will need to be over the value of £500 to a maximum value of £1,000.
Any group that has received our £500 community grant won’t be eligible to apply for our £1,000 grant within the same financial year.
We are unable to accept applications for the same project or activities across multiple years. Any new applications from a group or organisation must show a difference in what the grant is being asked to fund.
We are unable to accept applications for the believe housing £1,000 community grant to support:
- one-off events (unless part of a larger project)
- requests to buy goods and/or services on behalf of another organisation
- applications to develop the financial reserves of the organisation
- core funding which is ongoing running costs of an organisation (including staffing costs)
- religious, party political, or lobbying activities (non-religious and multi-faith activities may be funded)
- existing activities
- loans or debt repayments
- projects and activities for personal profit
- purchase of vehicles
- day-to-day organisational running costs, like utility bills and insurance
- individuals requesting funding.
After an application is received, the Community Investment Co-ordinator will contact the applicant if further information is required. When all information is supplied, a grant panel meeting will be arranged. The panel will be made up of believe housing tenants, supported by the Community Investment Coordinator’s. If the tenant grant panel cannot meet the panel will then be made up of the Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager and Community Investment Performance Team Leader.
We aim to inform applicants of the decision within four weeks from the date the application is submitted. Where possible, we will provide feedback and support to help you develop an application that meets the criteria.
Please make sure you allow enough time for the panel to consider your application when setting out project timescales as we are unable to fund projects retrospectively.
If believe housing agree to award a grant to help fund your project or activity, then you will be required to agree to terms and conditions.
To read the full terms and conditions, please click here.
Before completing the application, please make sure your project will be of benefit to one or more of the areas believe housing operates in, you have a bank account with two unrelated signatories, and you can provide us with two named contacts for your project; otherwise, your application will not be considered.