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Community Investment Fund

Supporting projects in your local community

The idverde Community Investment Fund aims to empower local people to deliver sought-after projects that improve their local green space or the public realm, enhance the local environment and boost the wellbeing of local people.

We know there is no shortage of great ideas and enthusiasm for such projects in our communities, but a lack of cash can prevent great ideas from reaching their potential. That’s why idverde launched its Community Investment Fund, which grants up to £40,000 per year to support community-led projects in the areas where we work. Funding can be granted for a variety of projects and activities, including promotion, marketing, and education, as well as practical equipment and running costs.

The fund is open for applications from formally constituted, not-for-profit groups, such as charities, volunteer groups, forums, sports teams, societies and schools. Your project must be based in areas where idverde currently operates a contract – check out our main contract locations here, but if you’ve seen our vans driving around, you’re in luck!

Applications can be made through the online crowdfunding platform, Spacehive. Simply register your project on the platform and set a fundraising goal and spread the word about your project to start receiving pledges from your local community. The Spacehive platform will automatically match relevant funds to suitable projects so that you can apply for funding for your project directly through your Spacehive dashboard.

If your application to the idverde Community Investment Fund is successful we will add the amount of funding granted to your project as a pledge. Your project will receive the funds from the idverde Community Investment Fund and your other Spacehive pledges when your project reaches its funding target.

Visit Spacehive now to set up your project and start receiving pledges, or see their FAQs for more information on how the crowdfunding platform works.

Some of our recent projects

Supporting the Litter Partnership in Winchester
BEECHE’s nature webinars for children
Helping willow tits at Stonebow Washlands Local Nature Reserve
idverde helps school children to get growing

idverde Community Investment Fund Frequently Asked Questions

What is the idverde Community Investment Fund?
A. It’s a pot of money (up to £40K every year) that our company, idverde UK, has set aside to help local community groups make improvements to their outdoor environment. We call this our Community Investment Fund, or iCIF for short. We only offer this in areas where idverde already works for the Council or your local Housing Association, so if you see our vans driving around, you’re in luck! This is because we can support you with more than just money, we can also provide you with plants, tools, take your rubbish away, and so on. But we can only do this if you are close by. We usually give grants of up to a maximum of £1,000. This means we should be able to support at least 40 great projects every year. If you need more than this, we can sometimes consider it, especially if it allows you to ‘match-fund’ and get even more money from another funder.
What kind of projects can apply to the idverde Community Investment Fund?
A. If your project will make an improvement to a public open space, then we can consider it. The open space could be a park, playing field, recreation ground, playground, nature reserve, wood or even a cemetery. The space must be freely accessible to all members of the public, so we can’t fund private schools, or allotments, or anything where access is restricted or you have to pay to get in. The improvement could be better facilities (a new swing), or making it look more attractive (new plants and shrubs) or making it easier for everyone to enjoy (wheelchair access) or making it more of a home for wildlife (bug hotels).
What can we use the grant for?
A. You can use the grant to buy equipment, plants, materials, tools, and also to produce leaflets or set up a website, so long as it’s all about improving your local patch. You might want to hold an event to launch the project, that would also be an appropriate use of the grant. If your project provides some training or work experience for local people, then so much the better, because this might mean we can employ that person later on. So the funds can be used towards a training course on horticulture, landscaping, or conservation. Or you could use it for raising awareness of the importance of your local green space.
How much can the idverde Community Investment Fund give towards our project, and when is it available?
A. Because we want to give our support to small, local groups at grass roots level, we have put an upper limit of £1,000 per project. As mentioned above, we might occasionally grant more than this, but you have a much better chance if you apply for no more than £1,000. Applications are assessed by our Funding Panel on a rolling basis, but our total funding pot is limited to £40,000 a year (January – December), so the earlier you can submit your application the better!
How does my group apply for the idverde Community Investment Fund award?
A. The easiest way to apply is via the online crowdfunding platform, Spacehive. Simply register your project and if you’re in one of our contract areas, and your project involves parks and green spaces you’ll be ‘matched’ with relevant funds, including the iCIF, and can apply for funding. Setting up a page on Spacehive is also a great way to gain a following for your project and share your latest updates. If crowdfunding’s not for you, don’t panic! You can download a copy of the application form which you can return to us by email or post.
Will my group be involved in publicity?
A. Yes, we want to promote all projects that our Fund has supported. This could be within the community (e.g. local Paper, or community Facebook page) and also with our clients in the Council or Housing Association. So if your application to our Fund is successful, you’ll need to complete a publicity information form, which we will send to you, and make sure you take lots of photos of the amazing work you do!