The deadline for funding applications for community driven projects in the city is set to close on 9 February.
In October 2023, City of Lincoln Community Chest was awarded £300,000 to fund community projects in each of the 11 wards in Lincoln.
Some £150,000 has been funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with Investors in Lincoln funding the additional £150,000.
The City of Lincoln Community Chest adapts a successful scheme that has been operating in Sincil Bank for a number of years, which has helped kickstart community activity and engagement in the area.
It will aim to support local projects that improve the quality of life for local people, while promoting a sense of ownership not only of problems but also of local opportunities and resources.
The Community Chest’s goal is to encourage the creation of more neighbourhood groups and revitalise existing groups, contributing to the sense of community in all wards across the city.
Each area of the city has up to £25,000 to spend on community based projects they would like to see funded in their area and grant funding of up to 2.5k is available for groups to apply for.
The deadline for applications ends on 9 February, and City of Lincoln Council is keen to hear from groups within the city that have new ideas for community projects, or ongoing projects that may be in need of additional support.
One of the projects that received funding last year from the Sincil Bank Community Chest was an innovative project that transformed the front gardens of an area on Portland Street.
Local resident Janice Schlanker was encouraged to apply for a grant from the Community Chest for her gardening work Janice connected with Sage Gardener CIC and received support from Jewsons, Abbey Access Training and McNeil and Co Solicitors.
Janice became a Lincolnshire Make a Difference winner at the 2023 awards due to her involvement in the project, which included planters installed at the front of a number of properties on Portland Street to transform the environment.
Janice wanted to change people's perception of the area and the residents living there, and the grant from the Community Chest helped her with that goal.
Cllr Naomi Tweddle, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council said:
“The City of Lincoln Community Chest will support local projects that improve the quality of life for local people. It's also important that the scheme itself will go towards helping neighbourhoods play a leading role in regenerating their area.
"We urge local groups to submit an application, it could make a real difference to your area and the people in it.”
David Rossington of Investors in Lincoln added: “We’re proud to be able to support the Community Chest to fund projects that will benefit all 11 wards of the city.
"Our mission is to make a positive contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of communities, to strengthen greater Lincoln as a whole and put people at the centre of making decisions about their local area.”
For more information about the City of Lincoln Community Chest and for support with the application process, please contact frances.plant@lincoln.gov.uk and jaime.oliver@lincoln.gov.uk