Community Grants Scheme

Rother District Council's Community Grants Scheme supports the development of community facilities, community activities and sustainable local action.

Applications are welcomed from voluntary or community organisations for services and activities which benefit the residents of Rother. Please carefully read the  Community Grants Guidance and Criteria Information [527kb] before completing the  Community Grants Application Form [218kb] or Community Grants Form under £500.

Apply online for small value projects using the Community Grants Form under £500

Preference is given to groups or organisations that;

• Have secured additional funding sources
• Are able to demonstrate strong community support for their project from the community and local Councillors, and Town and Parish Councils
• Can show how the on-going costs of their project will be met

There are three types of grants that may be funded:

Small value projects - Grants of under £500 can be applied for.  The maximum amount of funding for small grants in any one year is £5,000.  The maximum grant will be limited to 50% of the total cost of the project. Match funding may also be provided in-kind. The small grants scheme is open all year round. Applications must be made using the Community Grants Form under £500.

Medium Grants Scheme - £30,000 per year is ring-fenced for one-off grants of up to £5,000 each.  The maximum grant will be limited to 50% of the total costs and local support will be required on the basis of at least 30% of the funding towards the project or scheme.

Large Grants Scheme - The maximum grant for any project is £30,000.  Rother District Council will fund a maximum of 50% of the project or scheme.  It is necessary to demonstrate the long-term viability of the project, together with details of how on-going costs will be met.

Applications for small grants can be applied for all year round and applications will only be accepted via the online application form: Community Grants Form under £500. Applications for medium and large grants are considered by the Grants Panel twice a year.  The Panel will then make recommendations to Cabinet who has the final decision.  You will then be contacted to confirm if your application has been successful and the amount of funding to be awarded.

Applications for the first round should be submitted between 1 April and 15 July with applications considered by Cabinet in September.

Applications for the second round should be submitted between 1 October and 15 January with applications considered by Cabinet in March.

Please note that Cabinet has the final say on all applications and there may be instances where applications that were originally approved by the Grants Panel and later declined by Cabinet.  Cabinet also has the right to amend funding amounts.

For further details please download a copy of the  Community Grants Guidance and Criteria Information [527kb] and the  Community Grants Scheme List of Awards [472kb], showing examples of grants previously awarded.

If you have any further enquiries please contact: communitygrants@rother.gov.uk.

For support in completing the application form, please email gina.sanderson@rva.uk.com.

Help and Support

Rother Voluntary Action (RVA), the organisation which supports voluntary and community groups in this area, offers advice on all sources of funding and help at the following link help applying for grants

Follow the link below to the Community Grants Scheme updates page to view a short film about the Grants Scheme.

• Community Grants Scheme updates

  This page contains a list of recent awards and a short video about the Community Grants Scheme.

• Previous Grants Schemes

  On this page you can find out information on previous one-off small grant schemes that Rother District Council has made available to community groups.

• Community Grants Form under £500