Asda Foundation Outdoor Community Spaces Fund

Overview

Asda Foundation recognises the importance of having safe and accessible outdoor spaces in communities across the UK, so this year they will be providing up to £500,000 of grant funding to help grassroots groups improve or transform their local outdoor community spaces.

Whether it’s cleaning up a green space, delivering collaborative growing projects or transforming an unused area for local people to use, the Outdoor Community Spaces Fund can be used to create or enhance an outdoor space near you.

This grant is for projects which meet at least one of the following aims:

• Transform an outdoor area, creating greener and more engaging community spaces.
• Create or enhance community growing projects.
• Enable community clean ups*

*Grants for community clear ups only will be capped at £500.

Suitable For

Charities and not-for-profit organisations that benefit local people.

Funding Size

Grants of £500, £1,000, £1,500, £2,000, £2,500, or £3,000

Who can apply

This grant is for community groups who are looking to improve or transform an outdoor space near to them. In addition, they encourage applications that:

• Increase access to outdoor spaces, particularly for marginalised or vulnerable groups of people. Asda Foundation is committed to enabling as many people as possible to be able to benefit from our funding.
• Bring local communities together – this means outdoor spaces which are open and accessible for a wide range of people on a regular basis.
• Make a lasting and demonstrable difference to an outdoor space.
• Enable groups to undertake a project that truly enhances a local space – applications that focus on just one or two expensive items are unlikely to be successful.

Essential Criteria

All criteria below must be met in order to be eligible to apply and to be considered for this grant.

Groups must have:

A total annual income of £250,000 or below

• Evidence that your group has an annual income of £250,000 or below. If they’re unable to find such evidence, this will be requested.
• If your group is a local branch or project that is managed by a parent organisation whose annual income exceeds £250,000, you will only be eligible for this grant if you can demonstrate you have a separate bank account, independent annual accounts, and your own constitution.
  • Asda Foundation is committed to supporting grassroots organisations, and therefore they have this income limit to ensure that our funding has the most meaningful impact at a local level.

Governing Documents

• A full copy of your organisation’s Constitution (or Articles of Association / Memorandum, if applicable).
• Your documents should be finalised (i.e. not a draft/template) and must outline your group’s name and charitable aims, confirmation of non-profit status, and what would happen to your assets upon dissolution.
  • They want to ensure that all groups in receipt of their funding have suitable governance in place.
    • Please refer to this handy guide from the NCVO about what your governing document should be like.

A Safeguarding Policy

• A Safeguarding policy which is up to date and specific to your group’s service users. Further details on our safeguarding guidelines can be found here.
  • Safeguarding is important to ensure the protection of all service users in your organisation. Your policy helps them to understand the processes you have in place and how your organisation handles concerns.

A bank account in your group’s name that accepts cheques

• Proof of your group’s bank account payee name i.e. a bank statement, paying in slip, letter from your bank.
• Please check that your bank will accept cheques before completing your application.
  • Cheques are our only means of payment; they are unable to make payment any other way.
  • They can make cheques payable to your group but they cannot make cheques payable to individuals or to personal bank accounts.

What can be funded

The following list provides some examples of the kinds of items and services that their funding could be used for. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, but any items and activities that they fund must still fit within their general criteria as detailed on ‘Who Can Apply’.

• Materials to build and transform outdoor areas, such as planters, raised beds, benches, paint
• Equipment to be able to deliver a community clear up, such as litter pickers, bin bags, hi-vis vests (items relating to community clear ups are capped at £500 in total)
• Machinery hire/purchase, e.g. rotavator hire (this must fit within a more comprehensive application and not be the only element we would fund)
• Permanent fixtures and features, such as sheds, outdoor furniture, pathways, gates and fencing
• Gardening tools and equipment, such as spades, wheelbarrows, polytunnels, water butts, compost bins
• Plants, shrubs, trees, bulbs etc.