An additional £20,000 is set to be invested in South Cambridgeshire District Council's popular Community Chest grant scheme, helping more local groups deliver projects that benefit people across the district.
The confirmation comes as demand for the Council’s Community Chest funding continues to grow.
The scheme supports voluntary and community organisations, charities and public sector bodies with grants of up to £2,000 each for projects that benefit local residents.
This year, the Community Chest budget was initially set at £64,890, with a further £11,010 ringfenced for biodiversity projects. The biodiversity fund has now been fully allocated, while the main Community Chest fund has seen consistently strong demand.
At the Grants Advisory Committee meeting on 24 September, councillors approved five more Community Chest applications seeking a total of £9,021. This left just under £14,000 in the Community Chest budget for the rest of the financial year.
The meeting therefore heard that the Council is allocating an additional £20,000 towards its Community Chest - to boost the grants available and help ensure more worthwhile community projects receive funding through to 31 March 2027.
Cllr Dr Lisa Redrup, Lead Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities for South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "Community groups are at the heart of life in South Cambridgeshire. They bring people together, support residents' wellbeing, improve local facilities and help create thriving, connected communities. The Community Chest scheme has a strong track record of supporting projects that make a real difference locally. This additional funding will allow us to support even more groups and help ensure good ideas are not missed because of a lack of available funding."
During the latest Grants Advisory Committee meeting councillors agreed to fund the latest five Community Chest applicants. They are:
- Bourn Allotment Association - £1,600 to improve disabled and wheeled access to the village allotments, benefiting allotment holders and schoolchildren visiting the site.
- 4D Dance CIC - £612 to launch new weekly dance classes for children and young people in Willingham.
- Bourn Sports Club - £809 to replace a storage shed that has been repeatedly damaged by vandalism.
- Foxton Bowls Club - £2,000 to purchase smaller, lighter bowls to make the sport more inclusive for younger players and people with disabilities.
- Northstowe Cricket Club - £2,000 to support the development of its women's cricket team through equipment, training sessions and coaching.
Community Chest grants help fund a wide range of initiatives, including improvements to community buildings and outdoor spaces, environmental projects, equipment purchases, activities that reduce social isolation, and projects that support residents' health and wellbeing.
Over recent years, Community Chest funding has supported a broad range of local projects, from improvements to village halls and community spaces to initiatives promoting biodiversity, helping sports groups to grow, supporting children and young people, as well as projects focusing on inclusion and community wellbeing.
Recent Community Chest grants have included Melbourn Dynamos Football Club's walking football project, repairs at Fen Drayton Bowls Club, TLC: Talk, Listen, Change's family support programme, new chairs at Graveley Village Hall, and a wildflower meadow at Duxford Recreation Ground.
Community organisations interested in applying for funding can find more information, including eligibility criteria and application guidance, on the South Cambridgeshire District Council website.
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