£1.35m Funding for Pocket Parks in England

Community-led organisations working in partnership with local authorities across England can apply now for grants of up to:

£15,000 for new pocket parks.

£25,000 for refurbishment of existing parks split between capital and revenue.

Match funding is required, and the funding should be spent by 31 Mach 2020.

The funding is intended for communities to develop new green spaces or improve existing ones that are in poor condition, that provide people with better quality spaces; increasing opportunities for social mixing, healthy living, relaxation, play, food growing and contact with nature addressing health and wellbeing, integration social isolation or loneliness.

The funding can support the following types of costs, but is not limited to:

Capital – support to prepare a site, earth-works, landscaping, tree planting, structural works etc. and put it into a good condition for further development.

Resource – to secure support from relevant experts (ie. landscape architects, lawyers, horticulturalists or wider green sector experts) and/or to connect with existing green space support networks.

Applications will be considered from community groups in England. This might include friends’ groups, tenants or residents’ groups, community gardeners’ associations, town teams, coastal community teams, voluntary and community organisations, town and parish councils or even Business Improvement Districts and Community Interest Companies (CIC).

Pocket parks are defined for this programme as a piece of land of up to 0.4 hectares (although many are around 0.02 hectares, the size of a tennis court) which may already be under grass, but which is unused, undeveloped or derelict.

The deadline for applications is 31 December 2019 (5pm).

More information about this funding opportunity and the application process is available on the GRANTfinder funding information platform. GRANTfinder provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on funding news and policy. To find out more about how GRANTfinder can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.