Wychavon Resilience Grants

There are three funding strands available:

• Community resilience: £400,000 of small revenue grants to support voluntary and community sector organisations operating in Wychavon to become stronger and less reliant on local authority funding in the future.
  
  
• Community building energy resilience: £50,000 of grants towards the costs of energy audits and implementing energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures in community buildings in Wychavon.
  
  
• Biodiversity improvements: £50,000 of  funding to support communities with improving biodiversity in their local area. Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is managing this element of the funding on our behalf. Find out more and apply at Natural Networks | Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

Wychavon based voluntary and community sector non-profit groups and organisations can apply for all three elements of the funding. These may include:

• Charities and charitable trusts
• Unincorporated associations (with a governing document and bank account)
• Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
• Community Interest Companies (CICs)

Parish and town councils can apply for community building energy resilience and biodiversity improvement grants but not community resilience grants.

Schools and some businesses can apply for biodiversity improvement grants through Natural Networks.

The community resilience and community buildings energy resilience grants are not open to individuals, schools or businesses. Information about funding and support for businesses can be found on our business funding page.

Community Resilience £400,000

This element of the fund is to support voluntary organisations and community groups to become stronger and less reliant on local authority funding in the longer term.  This will help ensure they can continue to support residents and improve their local areas after Wychavon has been abolished in 2028.

Grants can support revenue projects and proposals that will strengthen an organisation in one or more of the following areas:

• Leadership and governance
• Strategic, business and succession planning
• Financial planning and budgeting
• Skills development, such as project management, digital and marketing skills
• Volunteer and staff management
• Improving outcomes and measuring impact
• Partnership working and collaboration

This grant is not for covering short-term core costs, existing staff salaries and business as usual activity, repairs or purchasing equipment.

Community Building Energy Resilience £50,000                                                                        

This part of the fund is to support community building owners and managers to reduce energy costs, improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions.

Grants will be offered towards the costs of energy audits and to part fund the installation of energy efficiency measures, renewable energy, and low carbon technologies, with the recipient providing match funding from other sources. Read the Community Building Energy Resilience Grants page for guidance about which projects are eligible for this funding

Wychavon Natural Networks £50,000

This element of the funding is for small grants for communities to make biodiversity improvements in their local areas and commission biodiversity audits and management advice from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. The funding will cover both staff time for delivering the audits and advice and a small grant to support community activity.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is managing this funding on our behalf. Find out more details and apply on the Natural Networks | Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

While there is no upper or lower limit, as a guide we expect most applications for Community Resilience Grants and Community Building Energy Resilience Grants to be between £3,000 and £20,000.

Applications for the Community Resilience and Community Building Resilience Grants can be made at any time during the year by filling in our digital application form. They will be considered on a first come, first served basis.

Three assessment rounds are planned. The cut-off dates for receiving applications to be considered in each round are set out below.

There may be a fourth round if there are any funds remaining after the first three rounds.

Applications for Community Resilience and Community Building Energy Resilience Grants are open and can be made by filling in our simple digital form.  Projects must not start before funding has been approved.

Submit an application

Before applying for a Community Building Energy Resilience Grant we recommend you read our application guidance. It explains in more detail what projects are and aren’t eligible, how we will assess and score your application and how to calculate carbon savings.

Community Building Energy Resilience Grants Guidance

Apply for a Wychavon Natural Networks grant link.

When we receive your application we will send you an acknowledgement.

We will check you are eligible for a grant and have provided all the information we need and, where relevant, any supporting information. We will contact you if we need more information.

Our Communities and Funding Panel will assess all eligible Community Resilience Grant applications.  Projects will be assessed based on their likely impact on the future effectiveness, sustainability, financial stability and resilience of your organisation and how this will enable you to continue to support Wychavon residents beyond 2028.

Our Climate and Nature Panel will assess all eligible Community Building Energy Resilience Grant applications. Read the guidance on the Community Building Energy Resilience Grants webpage to understand how we will assess and score your application.

The Panels will make funding recommendations to our Executive Board who will make the final decision about whether your application is successful. We will notify you of the outcome of your application within ten days of the Executive Board decision being made.

Grants under this scheme will be awarded a Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Before a grant can be awarded you may need to sign an MFA declaration.

We will issue a grant funding agreement to all successful applicants. This will contain grant terms and conditions and payment arrangements.

You must not start the project until your grant funding agreement is completed and signed.