The aim of the Facilities Improvement Grant Fund is to develop and improve village halls, community centres, sport and leisure centres, play facilities and public open spaces, protecting and enhancing the quality of life for residents within East Cambridgeshire.
The Facilities Improvement Grant is for capital expenditure only. Ongoing project running costs are not eligible.
Any parish which has an allocation of Section 106 (S106) funding or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts that is not allocated and covers the full costs of the project are not eligible for Facilities Improvement Grant Funding. To find out if a parish has any S106 funding, contact Stephanie Jones, Communities & Partnerships Support Officer at FIG@eastcambs.gov.uk or Tel: 01353 665555. To find out if a parish has any CIL receipts, contact the parish council for the parish in which the facility is located. The types of organisations that can apply are listed in the application form.
If the balance of Section 106 funding or CIL receipts available to the parish is less than the total cost of the project, an application can be submitted to make up the balance of the monies up to a maximum grant of £10,000. Non-Parish Council applicants applying for this grant must check with their Parish Council whether S106 or CIL monies are available to fund the project. Applicants must check whether S106 and/or CIL monies are spent and/or allocated. An application for this grant can only be made if S106 and CIL monies are spent and/or allocated and therefore there is insufficient funding available for the project proposal.
The grant scheme is open all year round. Please note that there is a total of £40,000 available for allocation each year, so it may not be possible to fund every application that meets the criteria. An organisation can apply for Facilities Improvement Grant funding once during any given financial year.
It is possible that more than one application could be submitted at the same time, which would exceed the final balance available for allocation. If this occurs, the Council will contact the applicants with a view to supporting as many projects as possible, whilst ensuring their viability.
The types of project that might be eligible will be dependent primarily upon evidence that an assessment has been made of local community needs. The project must fit into one of the following categories:
- Community Centres/Village Halls
- Multi-purpose Sports and Leisure Centres which serve the general public
- Play Facilities
- Open Spaces