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How to apply

Step-by-Step Guide to Applications

Step 1: Contact Your Local County Councillor

  • Begin by discussing your project idea and how much funding you are seeking support for with your local county councillor.
  • If you're unsure who your councillor is, you can find out here: Your Councillors

Step 2: Submit the Pre-Application Form

  • If your councillor is supportive of the idea and has confirmed how much funding they are willing to endorse, complete the online pre-application form.
  • This form will automatically notify the named councillor and request their endorsement.
  • If two or more councillors agree to endorse your project:
    • Do not use the online pre-application form.
    • Instead, email the project team directly at: GNF@gloucestershire.gov.uk to discuss your application.

Step 3: Wait for Councillor Endorsement

  • If the councillor confirms their endorsement, you will receive an email with a link to the full application form.
  • You can then proceed to complete and submit the full application.

⚠️ Note: The online application form will not save your progress until you click ‘submit’, so please review what is required and ensure you are ready to complete the fields as necessary.*

Step 4: Application Submission to the Project Team

  • Once submitted, your application will be processed by the Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund project team.
  • Councillors must declare:
    • Their association with your organisation.
    • Any potential conflicts of interest.

Step 5: Final Approval

  • The Director of Public Health at Gloucestershire County Council will make the final decision.

Step 6: Notification

  • You will be informed of the progress and outcome of your application in a timely manner by the Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund project team via email.

⚠️Important notice regarding the assessment and approval process 

Endorsement by a County Councillor is an important step in the application process, but it does not constitute approval of funding.

All applications are subject to eligibility checks, due diligence and formal approval procedures before a final decision can be made.

Applications are assessed in the order they are received to ensure a fair and consistent approach. 

Assessment times vary depending on the complexity of the application and whether any additional information or due diligence is required. While straightforward applications may progress through the process within approximately eight weeks, more complex applications can take several months to complete.

Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their application well in advance of their planned project start date and allow sufficient time for the assessment and approval process.

Costs incurred before approval cannot be guaranteed for reimbursement under the scheme. Please consider this before you commit to any project expenditure, and wait until you have received written confirmation of funding approval. 

If you are applying retrospectively, you will be required to provide evidence of expenditure for your application to be processed for payment. 

If Your Councillor Does Not Support the Project

  • You may approach other county councillors if your project directly benefits residents in their division.

⚠️ Note: Applications submitted directly to the project team before councillor endorsement may take longer to process.

* Items required for application form completion:

  • Organisation name, name of project, name of County Councillor
  • Contact details and legal status of applying organisation, including company/charity number if relevant
  • Current activities of your organisation
  • Ofsted URN if applicable
  • Details on the economic activity of your organisation, if relevant
  • Amount applied for and what this will be spent on
  • Overview of how the funding will be used, the expected outcomes, and how this will be sustained
  • How it will be accessible with consideration of the Equality Act 2010
  • Information on whether the activities will involve altering any land or buildings, and associated consents and maintenance details
  • Start and end dates of proposed activity.
  • Knowledge of whether this funding is contributing to a larger amount of funding required for a wider project, and what has already been raised and whether the activities outlined in this application form can continue without the additional funding being raised