Cornwall Council is once again reminding residents of funding available to support projects in communities.

A new Shared Prosperity Fund opportunity for community groups that have plans to benefit residents in their local area has been launched.

The Community Capacity Fund offers grants ranging from £2,000 to £25,000 to community-based, not-for-profit organisations across Cornwall, particularly those in rural areas and those with little or no track record of securing grant funding.

Carol Mould, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods, said: "I urge community groups that have great ideas but who need help to get their project off the ground to apply for this funding. We have made the process as straightforward as possible and there is help available to fine tune your application. This is all about giving the local community the tools to progress ideas and schemes that they recognise will bring benefits to their fellow residents."

New Community Capacity Fund

The funding can be used for the commissioning of feasibility studies, architects' drawings, business plans, concept designs, or other technical pieces of work. It could also be used for community consultation programmes which lead to a wider project

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Economy, said: "There are some parts of Cornwall that have not benefitted from some of the larger pots of funding in recent years, particularly in rural areas and especially in north-east and south-east Cornwall.

"This is about empowering community-based organisations in those areas in particular, or anywhere else in Cornwall, so they can access the support they need for initial development work. Well-formulated plans will in turn put them in a stronger position to apply for other funding such as Community Levelling Up, other Good Growth programmes, Lottery or other grant giving bodies."

The Community Capacity Fund is part of the Good Growth Funds being delivered as part of the UK Government's £132 million Shared Prosperity Fund for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The Council's Community Capacity Fund team will coordinate the Fund and support communities with developing proposals.   

The fund is open to applications from now until November 2024. Details of how to apply can be found at Community Capacity Fund - Cornwall Council or you can contact the team at [email protected] or 01872 323806.