***Closing date 20th Jan***
Grant fund to support the modernisation and improvement of England’s village halls
In May 2022, Defra announced a £3 million Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund, (the Fund) to mark Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The aim of the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund is to support the modernisation and improvement of village halls, so that they are fit for purpose and can provide activities which seek to achieve one or more of the following outcomes for their communities:
- improved health and/or wellbeing and/or reduction in rural loneliness,
- positive impact on the local environment, contributes towards net zero,
- support for the local rural economy,
- promotion of community cohesion.
Grants are for capital improvements only, where projects aim to either upgrade, extend or improve facilities, or where capital items need to be purchased. They cannot be used for maintenance, repair or renewal work.
We recommend groups only apply to the fund once projects are well developed and have much of the funding already in place.
More detailed information and guidance is detailed below. Please make sure you read this information carefully before applying.
There is a two-step application process for the fund.
Stage 1
Applicants are required to submit basic information about their organisation, local community and the project proposed to determine eligibility.
Stage 1 applications can be made until 23:59, 20 January 2023.
The fund will re-open for Stage 1 applications in mid-February 2023. Demand on the fund will then dictate how long ACRE is able to accept Stage 1 applications.
Stage 2
Applicants who are successful at Stage 1 will be invited to completed a Stage 2 application. ACRE members will work with applicants at this stage to prepare more detailed information about their project which will be assessed by an award panel. The panel will assess the first wave of applications in March 2023. Subsequent applications will be considered by the panel later in the year.
All project work must be completed before the end of March 2025.
Should you have any queries about the fund or application process not already covered in the information linked above, please contact us at [email protected]
