Community Growing Grant

The Community Growing Grant will run until 31 March 2025 or until funds are exhausted.

What is the aim of this funding?

As part of our cost of living support programme, we have set up a Grant Scheme to help start Community Growing Projects across South Cambridgeshire. The funding is able to be spent on any capital costs associated with setting up a Community Growing Project, such as raised beds, gardening equipment, soil, and seeds.

Perhaps there is an unused piece of land in your area that could be transformed with the installation of a raised bed, or you volunteer at a Community Orchard that has space to install a raised bed to grow fresh vegetables. You may be part of an existing group or form a group specifically to create and maintain a Community Growing Project. As long as you fit the eligibility criteria and your project will benefit your community, you can apply for up to £500 from this grant to start it.

Who can apply?

An applicant might be:

• a Parish / Town Council
• community group (constituted and with a bank account)
• a School
• informal group (with the written support of their Parish Council/Town Council or District Councillor/s for the project).

Apply for a Community Growing Grant

What you can apply for:

• up to £500 grant to be awarded per Community Growing project
• the grant can cover any capital costs to help set up a Community Growing project. It is anticipated that this will be for some raised beds, gardening equipment, soil, seeds, and anything else needed to help set it up
• quotes are welcome but not essential. However, please ensure you include a breakdown of anticipated costs in your application. If you are requesting an amount towards a bigger sum needed for a project, please also include the total project costs and what part of the project funding is required for
• if there is high demand for funding, it may mean that we are only able to make a contribution to your project rather than fund the full amount. We reserve the right to prioritise based on such factors as the funding available, the number and type of applications received at any given time and a fair geographical spread of applications. Eligibility does not guarantee grant funding. 

What you can’t apply for:

• funding that is solely used to provide produce that is sold for private profit
• funding that only benefits individuals, rather than groups (for example a small growing plot in an individual’s garden)
• funding that helps to promote political activities or religious beliefs
• funding for a project that has already been set up and used retrospectively to pay for things that have already been delivered. However, it can be used to extend further provision of a project already started, for example a Community Orchard that wishes to add a raised bed.

In recognition that some organisations may not be used to submitting bids for funding there is support available from Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service who are well placed to offer local voluntary organisations a range of support, advice and information on matters concerning funding bids. Please call 01223 464 696 or email enquiries@cambridgecvs.org.uk