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Village Halls Small Grants Fund

Capital grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 are available to help make improvements to rural community buildings in England.

Who can apply: registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), multi-purpose Church Halls, charitable trusts and charitable companies, scout and guide huts where they are available for general community use. Please note that this Fund is available to halls and community venues in England only.

Key Words: Capital, Village Halls, Extensions, Internal Reconfiguration, New Roof/Roof Refurbishment/Roof insulation, Toilet Refurbishment, Damp Proofing, Kitchen Refurbishment, Electrical Works, Installation of Wi-Fi or Broadband, Replacing of Doors, Floors and/or Windows, Heat Pumps, Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, England.

The Village Halls Small Grants Fund is the latest tranche of the £3 million grant fund announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in May 2022 in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee. As with the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund, the Small Grants Fund is being managed by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).

Capital grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 are available to support capital projects in village halls such as boiler replacements, insulation, toilet upgrades and new kitchens. Smaller projects are likely to be prioritised. Projects must be completed by Monday 31st March 2025.
Applying venues must be in England and located in a rural settlement with a population of less than 10,000 residents. The venue must be in local community ownership and have a freehold or leasehold in place with a minimum of 21 years left to run.

Please note that there is a significant matched funding requirement for the Fund. A grant can only cover up to 20% of the total project cost. An 80% matched funding requirement is therefore required.

The Fund is expected to extremely popular as grants to improve the 10,000+ rural village halls in England are always needed. It is expected to be over-subscribed and may therefore close earlier than its stated December 2024 deadline.