Community grants

We actively support and encourage our communities with a number of grant opportunities. The types of grant available are summarised below, to find out more and apply, follow the links provided.

Locality budgets

Available to community groups for projects or activities that the whole local community can enjoy. For more details on this and restrictions, read: West Suffolk Council Locality Budget Scheme.

• To apply you will need to contact your local councillor. To find out who your councillor(s) are and how to contact them, please visit our Councillors and meetings page.
• For information about which community groups have received locality budget payments in Forest Heath, see our page Open data and transparency, locality budgets

Community Chest grants

The Community Chest funding round for 2020/2021 is now open.

Community Chest funding supports voluntary and community groups who make a contribution to improving the quality of life for people in West Suffolk.

Funded activities must help deliver the Families and Communities Approach and Families and Communities Strategy and eligibility criteria apply. The minimum amount that can be applied for is £1,000. This funding can be for one off projects or revenue funds for services.

Please find guidance and application documents below. To discuss your application prior to submission please contact families.communities@westsuffolk.gov.uk.

Applications close at noon on Monday 30 September 2019.

• West Suffolk Council Community Chest guidance for applicants 2020-21
• West Suffolk Council Community Chest application form 2020-21 (Word)
• West Suffolk Council Community Chest application form 2020-21 (PDF)

Previous Community Chest Grant allocations

• West Suffolk Community Chest grant allocations 2018-19
• West Suffolk Community Chest grant allocations 2017-18

Previous Rural Initiatives Grants Scheme (RIGS) grant allocations

• St Edmunsbury Borough Council RIGS grant allocation 2018-19
• St Edmundsbury Borough Council RIGS grant allocations 2017-18
• St Edmundsbury Borough Council RIGS grant allocations 2016-17

Further information

You can see our approach to funding illustrated in our Families and Communities funding approach diagram

For more information read our Families and Communities approach

Other funding sources

Home assistance grants

Funding is available from West Suffolk councils to assist families/residents to make safe, repair and improve their homes and we would like your help to engage with our communities.

We can assist in different ways, through Warmer Homes Healthy People or through the Home Assistance grant (HAG) to  help home owners carry out repairs and improvements to their homes to ensure that they are warm, weather proof or water tight, safe and secure and have reasonably modern kitchen and bathroom facilities.

To find out more, or to see if one of our other grants could help, see our Housing grants page.

Energy grants

For a wide range of grants and other assistance with energy-saving initiatives for businesses and community venues see the Green Suffolk website

Funding 4 Suffolk

Funding 4 Suffolk is a brand new website which lets you browse available funding by organisation type. There are also hints and tips for completing successful funding applications as well as a section specifically for local funds. You can access Funding 4 Suffolk in the Members Area of Community Action Suffolk (CAS)