South Holland organisations encouraged to apply for grants as Lincolnshire Community Foundation UKSPF GRASSroots scheme reopens
Community organisations, village hall committees, parish councils and sports clubs are being encouraged to apply for a grant as a popular funding scheme reopens.
The Lincolnshire Community Foundation GRASSroots Grants Fund, which has been made possible by the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership's UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Fund programme, has already supported hundreds of projects.
The established grants scheme is available to organisations such as charities, community groups, sports clubs and parish councils which are operating for the benefit of people living in East Lindsey, Boston Borough and South Holland District Council areas.
Grants of up to £24,999 are available to enable for projects with an aim to strengthen the social fabric of communities, build pride in place by improving local community facilities, creating opportunities to bringing people together to create social connections that will grow and thrive.
The fund will support both capital and some revenue costs and is keen to level up communities, providing access to activities and opportunities for people living in rurally isolated areas.
It is expected that there will be high levels of interest in this funding and any projects wanting to submit an application is encouraged to do so at their earliest opportunity.
Previously, projects such as Crowland Town Bowling Club, Spalding Rugby Club, Boxes of Hope and the Moulton Windmill Project have been supported with a grant from the scheme.
Earlier this year, Moulton Windmill was awarded a grant of £5,840 for replacement windows, new heaters and a coffee machine.
Treasurer Alan Lambert said: "Funding is essential for us to look after the mill - and for it to survive.
"It's a Grade I listed building and we want to keep it going forever so we do as much as we can to keep it alive and we enjoying it. The idea is to encourage families and young children to come in and to keep them interested as they are our future!
"Since we've had the new coffee machine and the new heaters in particular, we've noticed that it's a better visiting experience.
"Everything all goes towards the general running of the place. For example, there's no central heating in the mill so having heaters takes the edge off for visitors and the volunteers.
"In particular, they've been a huge help for the craft fairs which are part of the schedule of events we use to raise funds. They're really important and if we can enhance that experience for everyone who is involved, that's a huge positive for us.
"We found applying for the GRASSroots grant quite straight forward and while I know seeing a lot of forms can be daunting for others, but advice would be to fill in what you can as the team at LCF are great at helping you with anything you don't know about."
Councillor Paul Redgate, South Holland District Council's portfolio holder for finance, said: "I'm delighted that we are able to continue to support community projects via the GRASSroots Grants Fund.
"This scheme has already played a vital part in renovating village halls, supporting sports clubs, giving charities a much-needed helping hand and creating thousands of volunteering opportunities, just to mention a few.
"Having seen the impressive results of what can be achieved when smaller projects receive funding boosts, it's clear that just a little bit of help the results of their work can be truly transformative.
"The expectation is that this round of funding will be highly competitive and I would encourage anyone who is considering submitting an application to do so as soon as possible."
Sue Fortune, CEO of LCF, said: "We are grateful to once again be entrusted by the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership to distribute significant UK Shared Prosperity Funding into grassroots level community projects in Boston Borough, East Lindsey and South Holland.
"The GRASSroots Scheme administered by LCF has already delivered widespread impact throughout these three areas supporting more than 140 projects with more than £2 million in grants to support investment in and restoration of community spaces as well as creating opportunities for social connections amongst community members to develop and thrive.
"We are excited to continue working with community groups, registered charities, social enterprises and town and parish councils in SELCP districts to strengthen the social fabric of communities."
All of the details can be found here - https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk/grants/ukspf/
Applications close on Monday. June 30, 2025.