Community Grant Funding

Don’t worry about fancy editing - the video is just to help us visualise your project and understand how it will help the community! You could film as a group or just one person speaking to camera. We're not looking for fancy editing skills. What we want to know is the difference your project will make.

• Grants provided are not transferable to other projects
• All grant recipients will be required to provide details of how the grant was spent and evidence of expenditure upon request. Organisations who fail to provide evidence of expenditure when requested will automatically be ineligible for future grants from the Community Grants Fund.
• All successful applicants will be expected to submit a monitoring/outcome report once their project/event is completed. Organisations who fail to submit a report when requested will automatically be ineligible for future grants from the Community Grants Fund.
• Projects may require beneficiaries to complete before and after surveys provided by North Star, which are required as evidence for specific outcomes.
• It is a condition of acceptance of funding that North Star Housing can use photographic or digital imaging of the project for publicity, marketing and evidence purposes.
• It is a condition of the grant that any publicity and/or media coverage related to the project for which funding is provided acknowledges North Star Housing and includes our logo which can be provided digitally on request.

As part of your application, you will be asked to describe your project and what you expect it to achieve.

When reviewing applications, the panel will typically look for the following:

1. A clear need for your project in the community

• Show strong evidence that your community will benefit.

• Use facts, figures, or case studies to back this up.

• Be specific about who your beneficiaries are and how you will reach them.

• If you need our support, explain exactly what that would look like.

2. Connection to the community

• Projects are stronger when they are rooted in a real need.

• Highlight any partnership working – this shows your project is well-connected and supported locally.

3. A supporting video

North Star asks applicants to provide a short video alongside the application. This is your chance to bring the project to life. Strong videos often include:

• Footage of your organisation or group in action.

• The venue or location where the project will take place.

• Contributions from beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries.

• A focus on the positive difference your project will make.

You can reapply for funding whether you have received it previously or not; however, please note:

• A project will not be funded twice in any one financial year (April- March)
• We are unlikely to fund the same project two years in a row

As part of the community grants scheme, we won't fund:

• Grants to individuals
• Organisations/companies which aim to distribute a profit
• Retrospective grants
• Grants to organisations that promote religious or political views
• Grants for projects that do not promote equal opportunities
• Grants for staff costs and wages (excluding sessional costs) are not usually successful
• Grants for one-off events will be considered. However, any costs will need to be clearly itemised. If the funding requested for the event exceeds £500, please contact the team to discuss this (email communities@northstarhg.co.uk or call 03000 11 00 11 and ask for a member of the Communities Team)
• Grants for the total cost of projects will be considered. However, we encourage organisations to include match funding where possible, either from their own funds or alternative funding sources.

A member of staff from the Communities Team will check your application meets the eligibility requirements. 

Eligible applications will be considered by a panel of North Star Your Voice tenants and staff. The panel will make a decision based on the information contained within the application form and in light of the other applications being considered. The impact the project has is an important factor in deciding which projects we fund. The decision of the Community Grants Panel will be final

You will be informed by email of the outcome of your grant application within 10 working days following the deadline date.

If approval is given this is pending receipt of any further information requested e.g. copies of relevant policies or evidence of applicable.