New framework set for Tamworth community grants

Council leaders in Tamworth are set to shake up community grants. A new framework will shape how projects will be supported for the next two years.

It will see a mix of traditional grants and new crowdfunding initiatives through ‘We Are Tamworth’ which is a community crowdfunding platform being delivered in partnership with Spacehive. The platform will act as a primary source of funding for community-led initiatives and projects.

The councillor grant scheme will continue, with each of the 30 councillors receiving £1,000, which can be used as before or pledged to crowdfunding projects. However, the community grants scheme will close pending further evaluation.

The council was awarded £600,000 in funding from the community recovery grant to support social cohesion following the unrest in August last year. Part of this funding has been used to pay for the crowdfunding platform.

Council leaders are also set to allocate £30,000 of community infrastructure levy funding to the We Are Tamworth platform which will be used for improvement, replacement, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure within a ward. The proposals are set to be presented to council leaders later this week.

The report to cabinet members states: “Tamworth Borough Council is committed to supporting funding and grants to voluntary and community sector organisations in Tamworth, recognising the important role that they play supporting the most vulnerable in our communities, community cohesion and engagement.

“In September 2024, following the summer unrest, the Government awarded the council £510,000 revenue and £90,000 capital funding from the Community Recovery Grant Funding to support community cohesion. This funding has also been considered to enable support for the voluntary sector and community groups.

“Part of this funding has enabled the Council to create (in partnership with Spacehive) the WE ARE TAMWORTH social crowd funding platform.”