Grants are available to community groups involved with physical activity, education, health and wellbeing, and positive environmental impacts.
The size of the grants is not specified but for Bristol Water customers, the fund will provide £564,000 over five years for community funding, so awards are likely to be small.
They have partnered with grant management platform ActionFunder to manage and facilitate this grant programme so you will need to create a free profile if you haven’t already registered.
You will then need to create a project application outlining what you need the funding for and the expected impact. Your project application will automatically be submitted to the relevant fund that it meets the eligibility criteria for which will include Better Futures.
Bristol Water's Community Outreach Team will review all project applications on a monthly basis. If you’re successful, they will send you a funding invitation through ActionFunder and you’ll be asked to provide some further due diligence information before the grant is transferred.
The fund is open to:
- Schools, colleges or academies
- Registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Local community groups such as: cricket clubs, allotment groups, scout groups, garden clubs etc.
To apply for a share of the community funding, your project needs to involve one or more of the following:
- Nature and the environment
- Projects and organisations that directly impact and protect nature for the benefit of community health and wellbeing.
- Education
- Providing new opportunities to help people of all ages grow and develop.
- Community
- Groups that bring people together to create a sense of purpose within communities.
- Vulnerability
- Organisations providing care and support to people who need extra help.
Things they can fund include:
- Equipment hire and purchase
- Skills and training
- Employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project
- Professional fees ie builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency
The fund is expected to remain open until December 2026.