About the Programme

Community First is an £80m government-funded initiative across the UK that will run until March 2015. We are now entering the third year. The programme will help communities come together to identify their strengths and local priorities in order to plan for their future and become more resilient. It will fund both new and existing community groups.

£30,000 is available to fund community projects in the Leabridge Ward, Hackney, area. People will be encouraged to give time, expertise and resources towards the projects they identify in their areas. The government will match these pound for pound, helping to stimulate local action towards meeting community needs.

This is being administered overall by the Community Development Foundation (CDF) and Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group (CPNAG) are acting as what is known as the Panel Partner for the Leabridge Ward.

There is also a community Plan drawn up by the Panel for the Leabridge Ward – check it out here.

The current local funding priorities for Leabridge Ward are:

1. To help promote the local economy
2. To improve the quality of community life
3. To bring different communities together
4. To support the local heritage.

These priorities are subject to review each year so please check for announcements on this website.

A Community Plan for the Ward has been produced which you can find here.

You can apply for funding under these criteria by contacting the panel by writing to the email Leabridgeward.London@claptonpond.org when the bidding time is declared open – there is a closing date which is also announced. In the meanwhile, you can also contact the Panel for further information.

The programme can:

• Support local projects that improve the quality of life for local people
• Promote a sense of ownership not only of problems but of local opportunities and resources
• Start more neighbourhood groups and revitalise existing groups
• Introduce a new approach to funding projects – leveraging time, money and other resources – helping neighbourhoods play a leading role in regenerating their area

It can result in:

• Communities being able to help themselves and others
• Neighbourhood groups that are better able to express their needs and influence decisions made about that community
• Neighbourhood groups that are better able to take control of resources needed to make a difference – enhancing   confidence, capability and  partnership

Around £30,000 is available to be given out over four years in small grants.

Community First aims to encourage people in Leabridge ward to:

• Support the social action projects they need, improving the quality of life for themselves and others in their neighbourhood .
• Participate in relevant local decision making, promoting a sense of ownership not only of problems but of local opportunities and resources.
• Start more neighbourhood groups and revitalise existing groups.
• Work with businesses, charities and public authorities, encouraging people to help others and themselves to improve the quality of life locally.
• Introduce a new approach to funding projects – leveraging time, money and other resources – helping neighbourhoods play a leading role in regenerating their area.

To receive Community First funding any group or organisation must:

• be a not-for-profit, third sector voluntary or community group
• be connected with and/or meeting the needs of the local community
• have a bank account with 2 signatories OR nominate an organisation which has a bank account with 2 signatories to hold funds on its behalf
• have a governing document that has as a minimum the name, aim/purpose, objects, a dissolution clause for the organisation, a list of Trustees/Committee members, and Trustees/Committee member signatures. New groups are not required to have this in place, but should agree to develop one.
• provide evidence of significant community participation in their application through the group’s matched element to the project
• show that their project is in line with the priorities identified for the ward

Examples of what can be funded are:

• the purchase of equipment, like a computer, oven, furniture
• the costs of putting on a local event or workshop
• training for volunteers
• additional activities to expand an existing funded project
• activities that support community activity
• activities that meet an identified need in the local community
• funding to support an organisation to achieve a quality or other standard relevant to their activities.

Community First cannot fund the following:

• statutory organisations, such as Local Authorities, schools and the Police Force
•  arms length public sector organisations that are controlled wholly or in part by, for example, a Local Authority, a Primary Care Trust or agencies of these
•  any party political activity
• commercial ventures
• organisations working in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, or those that primarily benefit communities overseas in Europe or elsewhere. The grants must be used for activity within local communities in England.
• certain types of activities that support Asylum Seeker groups. Further information can be found at: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Match Funding

• Groups funded by the CF programme will need to demonstrate match funding. The matched element should principally be in volunteer time but can also be donated cash, goods and services.
• As grants awarded will be small and volunteering opportunities in some cases may be limited, many groups will nonetheless, be dependent on volunteers to help deliver projects.  CDF are recommending groups use an hourly rate of £11.09 to calculate the value of volunteer match time.
• In order to greater reflect current labour market costs, CDF is using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and within this the Median gross hourly earnings rate.  From the current survey (December 2010) CDF are therefore recommending groups use an hourly rate of £11.09 to calculate the value of volunteer match time.  The ASHE is the ONS principal source for earnings estimates collected in April and uses data on 181,000 employees.  The statistics (drawn from current HM Revenue & Customs PAYE records) although higher, are based on current labour market costs and give a more realistic indication of how much it might cost a group to employ a full or part time member of staff in the (volunteer) role.  CDF are opting for this median value as it represents the middle ground used to calculate the pay rate for a typical worker within a homogeneous group and will be adjusted annually to reflect changes in labour costs.

You can find out more about how management of the programme is structured on About the Panel.

You can find out about the Panel’s priorities for the coming year at Community First Panel priorities

You can find out how to apply for funding at Apply for funding

You can find out more information about the Programme on the CDF’s website.