The community grants programme funds voluntary, charitable, and social enterprise organisations to deliver services, projects, initiatives, and activities that provide a benefit to the inhabitants of Hadleigh.
All applications will be considered fairly and openly and on their individual application merits. The final decision on applications and the level of any grant made lies with the Town Council.
What we offer
We may offer either a grant or a donation:
- A grant is awarded for a particular defined purpose (for example a grant towards a piece of equipment or towards a specific project). For grants we will consider applications requesting up to £3,000, please note that we expect most grants to be in the range of £500-£1,500 and higher grants will generally only be given occasionally for projects that show a strong fit to our funding priorities and a high chance of a highly positive impact.
- A donation is awarded for general purposes (for example, a contribution towards running costs). For donations we will offer up to a maximum of £500 in each instance.
Please note that the grants programme is a competitive process and as such we cannot guarantee that all applicants will be successful.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organisations applying should be either situated within the area administered by Hadleigh Town Council OR if not then the organisation should be able to show how there will be a clear benefit to residents of the town from what they are proposing to use the grant for.
- Organisations applying should be socially inclusive (e.g. membership is consistent with Hadleigh Town Council’s Equality & Diversity Statement).
- Be prepared to provide a light touch end of grant report detailing how the money was spent and what the impact of your work was
- Applications must meet one or more of our funding priorities.
Funding Priorities
Our funding priorities are:
- To support projects and initiatives which will directly benefit the residents of Hadleigh or improve an aspect of the town
- To enable local people to participate in voluntary groups, organisations, and activities
- To help the towns voluntary groups and organisations improve effectiveness or offer additional services or activities
- To support organisations which meet the need of the people experiencing social and economic difficulties
- To ensure that there is equality of access for Hadleigh residents to the services it provides and funds
- Projects and initiatives that contribute to Hadleigh Town Council’s priorities or strategies
We will not fund:
- Grants requested for the promotion of religious or political ideologies
- Statutory funded work. However, statutory organisations will be eligible to apply for projects that are outside of their statutory remit (for example, a school could not apply for funding towards an initiative that takes place within core teaching time, but they could apply for a project that takes place outside of the school day)
- Any commercial venture for private gain. However, social enterprises will be eligible to apply for non-profit making projects benefitting residents of Hadleigh.
- Individuals
- Contributions towards work that takes place outside of Hadleigh
- Public appeals for funds except where the appeal is made by the Mayor
- The purchase of alcohol, loan or interest payments, endowments, or VAT that you can recover
- Any retrospective applications or costs already incurred
- A list of other grant awarding bodies who may be able to help if you fall into any of the criteria above can be found on Useful Links
Assessment Criteria
Grants will be assessed for eligibility, and then a decision will be made by the Full Council (usually Town Matters Committee – currently suspended due to covid-19) using the following criteria:
- That the project meets the eligibility criteria
- A complete application form and supporting information provided
- Whether you have received a grant before
- How your group is set up and managed
- The financial need for funding
- What need/demand there is for your project
- Whether your project meets one of our funding priorities
- Any efforts you have made to secure other sources of funding
- Any evidence you have provided that shows the impact of your work
How to apply
Prospective applicants should complete our application form, which can be downloaded below and email it to assistant@hadleightowncouncil.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can pop into the Town Council office to collect a paper copy.
If you have been approved for funding, then you will receive a grant funding agreement and the terms and conditions of the grant. You will need to sign this to accept the grant prior to beginning your project.
If you have not been approved for funding, you will receive formal notification of this with a brief explanation of why you were unsuccessful.
2026.2027 Grant Application Form (Word)
2026.2027 Grant Application Form (pdf)