Voluntary and Community Sector grants
2024/25 Grants Programme
This year, we have two funds available to give to local projects, voluntary sector support and environmental grants.
ENVIRONMENT
We have brought two funds together to create a pot of £8,000. This fund is intended to improve the environment and support more bio-diversity and wildlife. There are two categories for entry
- very local projects which can attract a grant of between £250 and £1,000
- town wide projects which can attract a grant of between £1,000 and £3,000
Applications will open on Tuesday 1 October and close on Saturday 30 November. Councillors aim to make a decision on Wednesday 22 January and pay grants by the end of February 2025.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR SUPPORT
The first fund totals £10,000 and is intended to help with:
- Measures which help address the cost of living pressures on local residents
- Measures which improve mental health and wellbeing
Applications for between £500 and £3,000 were invited, starting from Monday 15 July.
Applications are now closed - the closing date was Monday 9 September.
We aim to make decisions on Wednesday 16 October and to have paid grants out by the end of November.
Complete our on line application form above or the word documents below. Send your forms to clerk@ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk
Environment and Wildlife Grants Policy for Autumn 2024 (PDF, 149 Kb)
Environment and Wildlife Grants Policy for Autumn 2024
Winter Fuel Grants
Fuel grants are awarded each December to people over state retirement age (66+) who live alone, and in the parishes of Kettering and Barton Seagrave.
Applicants MUST be on a low income of less than £325 a week.
Applications opened this year on Tuesday 1 October 2024. The closing date is Thursday 28 November 2024.
We aim to pay everyone who is eligible by Christmas.
Find out more about the winter fuel grants
Grants made in 2023-24
The following organisations were supported by the Town Council in 2023-4
Kettering Civic Society
Art works on Openreach Telecoms Boxes £1,300
The Kettering Civic Society has embarked on an innovative street art project, transforming three BT Openreach boxes into vibrant artworks by local talents Daisy Farrar-Hayton, Mark James, and Sally Leach. This initiative, supported by community discussions and feedback, aims to celebrate the town's cultural heritage and local artists while adding a splash of colour to Kettering's streets.
The project sees Daisy Farrar-Hayton's "Pleasure Park Mural" on Masefield Road, celebrating Rockingham Pleasure Park; Mark James' "The Shoemaker" on Wood Street, honouring Kettering's history of shoe making; and Sally Leach's "Cafe Corner" at Oaktree Court, incorporating residents' wishes for a garden design while remembering the former bus station.
Since the first three boxes were decorated in spring, three more have had the full treatment over the summer, supported by local sponsors. Well done to the Civic Society for keeping the programme rolling and attracting new sponsors.
Kettering Nature Group
The Kettering Bee Barn Project £900
The project is working to install bee barns at sites around Kettering, schools, allotments and other spaces with safe green areas. These will provide an ideal educational and nature connectedness tool, whilst encouraging participants to take part in a town-wide citizen science project to record the diversity of solitary bee populations, their allies and predators over the duration of the project.
All records will be passed to the local biological records centre (NBRC) to inform conservation efforts, and all involved will benefit mentally through the study of these fascinating insects. The project will be used to educate the community about the importance of pollinators at large through various events, both online and in person.
Youth Works
Regeneration of garden £5,000
Highfield Barnes Food Bank
Operating costs £1,000
The number of households supported with additional food parcels or meals provided as a result of this grant and over what period, over 4 months at the end of 2023 - 1000
- the number of children within those households who have been supported - 400
- the number of homeless people who have been supported (in addition to the households detailed above) 100 parcels given out in total.
Grange Resource Centre
Pilot to set up new community groups £3,060
The organiser reports:-
The grant has been used for a young persons activities held at the Grange School for Karate and mental health /well being .The sessions were well attended and have completed 10 sessions with a few more to complete.
The chatter group is on Wednesday afternoon - we have about 10 ladies attending who like bingo and chattering to each other. Mainly retired ladies - the oldest is 94. They have other games such as cards dominoes, lotto to chose from. This will continue and become permanent activity.
We have children's sessions starting on June 10th which is about sensory and touch for parents with young children. The first session we held was attended by about 4 families. It was new to the area and hopefully the second sessions will be better attended. We had 4 x 2 hour sessions
We are also starting another chat and well being session on Wednesday morning for younger adults again board games and mainly getting communication skills and well being the main topic.
At Christmas we held a party, with the children all receiving a present and food A Christmas party for the community was also held, making sure had food over Christmas.
The grant has helped the community and we continue to develop into larger groups .
Highfield Barnes Community Association
Community activities for local people £1,000
This grant paid for
- a christmas fayre, santa's drop and a bingo night during December 2023
- an easter fayre and egg hunt - Easter 2024.
The number of attendees at each session
- christmas fayre 70
- Santa's drop in 100
- Bingo 30
- Easter fayre and egg hunt 100
Highfield Barnes Youth Group
HARVESTERS
This grant paid for a trip to the pantomine in December 2023 , involving 100 people and 70 children
Crescents Community Centre
Mower repairs and redecoration works £800
Homestart
Operating costs £1,015
Kettering Food Bank
Operating costs £2,000
Shire Sounds
Equipment to enable training of young people to take place £1,500
BHVA
Market valuation of Gala Bingo site £2,850
Town Lottery Grants
The Council had a budget of £2,000 from funds raised from the Kettering Community Lottery to give to projects which support mental health and wellbeing, up to a value of £1,000 each.
The applications for town lottery grants closed on Sunday 22 October 2023 and councillors have now awarded grants to the following groups:
Big Bubble Theatre Company - Theatre mindfulness sessions £1,000
Kettering Foodbank - Operating costs £500
Kettering Youth Theatre Group - Pantomime rehearsals and facilities costs £1,000
Find out more about the lottery and previous grants awarded on the page below...
Find out more about the lottery grants
Love Wildlife Competition 2023-4
Kettering Town Council's Love Wildlife competition has now awarded the winning grants.
The competition offered funding for projects which help boost wildlife in Kettering.
Charities, CIOs, community and voluntary groups, clubs, not for profit organisations School Parent Teacher Associations, Friends of groups, religious bodies and health charities are all some of the examples of groups were eligible to apply.
The cash can go towards funding programme or activity costs which are directly relevant to the application, hire or purchase of equipment for meeting project needs and technical assistance. The project must also happen within Kettering town.
Kettering Science Academy
£1,000
Project to teach children how to grow vegetables in order to promote sustainability and life skills for students with special educational needs.
Park Junior School PTFA
£1,000
To set up an Eco Club so children can grow their own produce and install bug houses, bird boxes and a wildflower area.
Kettering Nature Group
£400
Kettering Bats Rock! Tour – a series of free guided bat walks with cash going towards purchasing bat detectors.
The Parent Friends Association of St Mary's School
£200
To develop a wellbeing garden, creating a habitat of plants and wildflowers where biodiversity would be a focus.
Bishop Stopford School
£200
To set up a Gardening Society to develop an area of eco garden at the school, focusing on project days in June with groups of year 8 students taking on the work as a super curricular activity.
Find out more about the Love Wildlife Competition
Ward Initiative Funds
All councillors have £500 to spend each year on projects which benefit people living in their ward. Below is a list of the projects funded in the 2023/24 financial year.
All Saints Community Group
Litter pickers/flyers £364.45
All Saints Community Group
Flytipping camera £359
Bishop Stopford School
Litter pickers £300
Cordwainer Pub
Christmas soup and meal service for £1, £494
Crescents Community Assoc.
Christmas event £150
Friends of Brambleside School
Outdoor seating £500
Grange Tots Group
Set up costs £173.25
Headlands Area Residents Association
£100
Highfield Barnes Community Centre
Coronation Party £160
Highfield Barnes Food Bank
Storage £615
Homestart
Family Day at Wicksteed £100
Kettfest
Pianist in Newlands Centre £300
11th Kettering Brownies
Equipment £500
KGH Radio
Replacement recording equipment £200
Kettering Sea Cadets
Defibrillator £300
Kettering Wombles
Advertising and PR materials £100
North East Town Tenants and Residents Group
Equipment £100
Midland Band Club
Christmas event £500
Ronald Tree Nursery
Sports equipment £238.25
Ronald Tree nursery
Consultation event £238
Sahyog Community Group
Event £500
St Mary's CEVA School
Toys £425
St Michael's Church Teas Up Group
Equipment £150
St Thomas More School Garden
£500
Tamara Sparkles
Free glitter stall at Kettering Town Council events £141
William St Community Garden
£141.60
Grants Policy (PDF, 142 Kb)
Grants Policy
Grants awarded in 2022/23
Grants for the 2022/23 financial year were awarded to a range of local groups. You can see the full list by clicking on the document below.
GRANTS AWARDED BY KETTERING TOWN COUNCIL 2022-23 (PDF, 154 Kb)
GRANTS AWARDED BY KETTERING TOWN COUNCIL 2022-23