FCC Community Action Fund
FCC Community Action Fund - England
Description
Grants are available to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) and located within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility.
Current StatusOpen for ApplicationsMaximum value:£ 100,000
Objectives of Fund
Previously known as WREN, FCC Communities Foundation was established in 1997 and has provided over £250 million to more than 7,500 projects across the UK. It is a non-profit-making Environmental Body registered to fund projects under the Landfill Communities Fund. The Landfill Communities Fund must be used for the purposes of implementing social, environmental and community based projects complying with specific 'approved objects' or categories in the Landfill Tax Regulations.
The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). The funding is for projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility.
Value Notes
Grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 are available for projects with a maximum total cost of £500,000.
All grant recipients are required to secure a 'Contributing Third Party' (CTP) payment. This is a very specific payment required to be paid to the landfill operator and it is not the same as match funding. Full details can be found in the guidance notes.
This is a highly competitive funding programme, which is oversubscribed.
Match Funding Restrictions
Applicants must show what other sources of funding have been sought and secured. Ony in exceptional circumstances will 100% funding may be provided.
Third Party Funding of 10.75% is a requirement.
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from the following types of organisations:
Registered Charities which operate a community facility.
Churches or Parochial Church Councils.
Parish or Town Councils or Management Committees or User Associations acting on behalf of Parish or Town Councils.
Local Authorities.
CASC Registered Sports Clubs.
Other organisations may still be able to apply for funding if they apply as a secondary applicant with a Parish Council, Local Authority or Charity which has an involvement in their project site.
Applicants are advised to discuss their eligibility before applying.
The project site must be owned, leased or under long term formal management agreement by the applying organisation. Any lease or management agreement must be in place before any application is made and have at least five years left to run.
Projects must be based within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility.
Applicants should use the calculator to determine if their project is located within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility site in the following areas:
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire
Cumbria
Halton and Warrington
Humber
Kent
Lincolnshire
Norfolk and Suffolk
North and West Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Warwickshire and the West Midlands
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
Day to day management and maintenance costs.
Projects which have already started.
Purchase of land.
Revenue or salary costs of staff including training and travel costs.
Purchase or lease of vehicles.
Projects located in buildings of charities, citizen advice bureaus, statutory service providers and any other building where the primary purpose is other than the provision of a public amenity.
Projects in hospital grounds, hospices, day care centres, residential homes or sheltered accommodation.
Projects located within schools or on school grounds.
Projects located on allotments.
Any work relating to car parks.
Projects located at leisure centres, swimming pools or sports facilities that are owned and managed by a Local Authority.
Scout Halls and other uniformed group HQs where there is no evidence of wider community use.
Any works to public highways, roads (either on or off project site, adopted or un-adopted) pavements beside highways, roundabouts. This does not include recreational footpaths, bridle paths or cycle ways.
Litter bins, dog bins and lampposts.
Projects involving Membership-only organisations where the general public (ie non-members) are unable to use the facilities.
Village or town centre enhancements such as walkways, street works or signage.
Projects to provide or enhance overnight accommodation or residential areas of any amenity.
War Memorials that do not have full public access or are not located within a public park.
Applications for funding towards the 'fabric' of any new build and/or extension projects.
Applications for internals, such as kitchens, heating systems or renewable energy technology are accepted if the applicant can demonstrate that the 'fabric' costs have been secured. The external fabric includes the following:
Foundations.
Drainage.
Bricks and mortar.
Roofing.
The provision of any mains supplies (water, gas, electricity, oil) to the building.
Organisations/individuals gaining a unique benefit from a project cannot be Third Party funders. Specific examples are as follows:
Environmental bodies.
Any individual or organisation, which is directly connected with the landfill operator, WREN, or the applicant.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding can be used for the provision, maintenance or improvement of the following types of public amenity:
Village halls and community centres.
Public play areas.
Publicly available Multi use games areas, skate parks and BMX tracks.
Sport and recreation grounds including pavilions and clubhouses with full public access.
Churches – community spaces only.
Nature reserves.
Public gardens, parks, country parks and woodlands with at least dawn to dusk access.
Museums.
The project site must be open and accessible for the general public. It should be somewhere where the general public can go, join or use without any limit or restrictions of use (or with reasonable access costs) being in place.
Examples of projects eligible for funding include:
Replacement doors and windows in village hall or community centre.
Provision of children’s play equipment in public open space.
Construction of footpaths and cycleways in a public park.
Providing all weather play surface for MUGA (multi use games area).
Dipping platform and all weather paths at a local nature reserves.
Provision of Skate Park.
The kinds of costs that may be included in the required funding are:
Contractors.
Materials.
Capital items.
Small items of equipment used by volunteers and staff to deliver the project.
Consideration will be given to applications for funding for the internal fittings of a new building or extension, but applicants should demonstrate that they have the build costs secured. The list of internal finishes includes:
Kitchens.
Toilets.
Floor coverings.
Decorating.
Lighting.
Heating, renewable energy technology e.g. ground source heat pump, photovoltaic panels.
How To Apply
Applicants should refer to the guidance notes before starting the application process.
Applications must be made using the online application system which is available on the website of the FCC Communities Foundation.
The 2024 rounds are as follows:
2024-1 Round opens 13 December 2023 and closes at 5.00pm on 28 February 2024
2024-2 Round opens 20 March 2024 and closes at 5.00pm on 5 June 2024
2024-3 Round opens 19 June 2024 and closes at 5.00pm on 4 September 2024
2024-4 Round opens 18 September 2024 and closes at 5.00pm on 4 December 2024.
Funding decisions are made approximately three months after the closing date.
