Cambridge Small Community Grants 2027: Up to £5,000 for Local Activities and Projects

Cambridge Small Community Grants 2027: Up to £5,000 for Local Activities and Projects

Cambridge City Council’s Small Community Grants programme is a practical funding route for voluntary and community groups planning a modest local activity in Cambridge. The 2027 Round 1 window opens on 24 November 2026 and closes at midday on 12 January 2027. Successful Round 1 awards are intended for activities delivered between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2028.

The programme can provide up to £5,000 for one activity or for several connected activities whose combined request does not exceed £5,000. The money is restricted revenue funding, so it must pay for the approved activity or project rather than provide unrestricted support for an organisation’s general work. The council describes the fund as suitable for responses to emerging needs, one-off events, and smaller or newer organisations.

This is a good opportunity for a group that can show a specific local problem, a realistic activity plan, and a clear benefit for Cambridge residents. It is not a general-purpose grant for individuals, commercial ventures, statutory services, retrospective costs, or projects taking place elsewhere. Groups should read the official rules closely before investing time in an application, particularly if they are newly formed, operate as a Community Interest Company, or intend to work with a council-owned space.

Key details

What the grant can support

The activity must contribute to at least one of the council’s published outcomes. These outcomes are the clearest starting point for deciding whether a proposal belongs in this programme.

Happy and healthy lives covers activities that help residents be active, healthy, and well. Examples include access to sport, leisure, culture, and green spaces; low-cost opportunities for people facing barriers; and activities that build social connection. Explain the change expected, not simply the event.

Safe and pleasant places covers work that helps residents feel safe and proud of where they live, including support for vulnerable people or improvements to green and public spaces. Connect each proposed cost to the local safety or environmental benefit.

Belonging and connection is relevant to activities that reduce isolation and help people take part in community life. Inclusive events and volunteering can fit when they help people build relationships, feel valued, and have a voice locally.

Information, support and confidence covers activities that help people obtain information, advice, or support, particularly people facing the greatest challenges. Advocacy and targeted support can fit, but applicants must distinguish community support from regulated care, clinical treatment, or counselling, which the programme excludes.

The strongest applications make a short chain easy to follow: a Cambridge need, defined activity, beneficiaries, achievable outcome, and proportionate cost. A project can fit more than one outcome, but explain each connection rather than listing them all.

Who can apply

The programme is for voluntary and community groups, not individuals. A group must be independently established for charitable, benevolent, or philanthropic purposes, have a governing document defining its aims and procedures, and have at least three unrelated elected volunteers making policy and overseeing the organisation.

The council will not fund a statutory organisation, a group set up by a statutory organisation, or an organisation managed wholly or partly by one. The proposed activity must also sit outside the statutory responsibilities of another public body. For example, the rules exclude work that belongs to Cambridgeshire County Council, the NHS, or another health authority, as well as clinical support such as counselling.

Community Interest Companies can be eligible, but the structure matters. A CIC must be limited by guarantee and have an asset lock. CICs limited by shares are not eligible for this programme because they may distribute part of their profits to shareholders. The council may request a CIC36 Community Interest Statement, CIC34 Annual Community Interest Report, and business plan in addition to the normal governance documents.

Applicants must have appropriate insurance, follow relevant legal responsibilities, maintain current policies, and have satisfactory records for previous Cambridge funding. Groups outside the UK and membership organisations restricted to paying members are excluded.

A newly formed group is not automatically ruled out. The council says it may allow a new group to work toward missing documents as a condition of an award, but that is not a promise of funding. Contact the council early if documents are missing.

What the money cannot fund

The grant is activity-focused. It cannot pay for individuals or personal care, direct private or commercial profit, political activity, religious instruction or promotion, fundraising, alcohol, or food and refreshments above £7 per head. Religious groups may apply for an eligible non-religious activity that is inclusive of all faiths and backgrounds.

The council also excludes retrospective or out-of-year costs. Activities that have already happened, start before awards are released, or fall outside the grant award year are not eligible. Round 1 proposals should therefore be ready to begin from 1 April 2027, without assuming that earlier costs can be reimbursed.

Equipment must be essential and included in a fully costed project. Private-car use and entry fees are considered only exceptionally. Websites are excluded unless the website directly provides and is integral to the funded activity. Apprenticeships, language and cultural classes, grant redistribution, and disproportionate core costs are also excluded.

Staff, self-employed, and contractor costs cannot exceed the standard agreed rates for city council workers. The council encourages organisations with employees to pay, or work toward paying, the Real Living Wage, but that encouragement does not remove the stated rate restriction. Build the budget around eligible delivery costs, and ask the council if a borderline item is essential before including it.

Application process and timeline

The Round 1 application window opens on 24 November 2026. Applications must be submitted through the council’s grants portal by midday on 12 January 2027. The portal is the submission route during the window, so groups should not wait until the deadline to create an account, assemble attachments, or resolve questions about their legal structure.

The council expects to assess applications from 12 January through the end of February 2027 and notify applicants around the end of February. Payments are expected in March, subject to approval of the overall council budget, a signed grant agreement, and any conditions. Round 1 activities are planned for 1 April 2027 through 31 March 2028.

After submitting, applicants should receive an automated acknowledgement from the grants portal. There is no right of appeal if an application is unsuccessful. That makes accuracy at submission important: save a copy of the final application, check that every attachment is present, and keep the acknowledgement email.

Round 2 offers a later route: it opens on 20 April 2027, closes on 1 June 2027, and covers activities from 1 August 2027 to 31 March 2028. The council plans to notify applicants in early July and release successful awards in mid-July. An organisation can hold an award from only one round in a year, so choose the round that matches the actual delivery plan.

Documents and evidence to prepare

The official page lists both governance and project documents. Core project material includes a risk assessment and insurance certificate. The group should have current policies, with adoption and review dates, covering complaints, data protection, environment, equality and diversity, health and safety, and safeguarding.

The council also asks for the latest governing document, a list of trustees, directors, or committee members, and a bank statement from within the previous three months showing the organisation’s name and address. Include the names of two signatories for the bank account. The account must be a dual-controlled organisational account with two signatories, held at a bank or building society regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or Financial Conduct Authority and protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Financial records should be current and consistent. Prepare the latest annual accounts, including income and expenditure and, where available, balance sheet or cash-flow information. The council also asks for a whole-organisation budget or up-to-date accounts against the current budget. A signed trustee or director report may be required, as may an external examiner’s report where annual income is £25,000 or more. CICs should add the CIC34 report, business plan, and CIC36 form.

For the project itself, keep evidence of local need. This could be anonymised service data, a short consultation, waiting-list information, partner observations, or evidence from an existing activity. The point is not to collect impressive statistics for their own sake. It is to show why the activity is needed, who is affected, and why this group is positioned to respond.

How to make a competitive case

The council says it will consider eligibility, alignment with priorities, quality, local need, the proportion of beneficiaries who are city residents, understanding of how beneficiaries will be reached, value for money, sustainability, and evidence of good governance and financial management. Use those criteria as the structure of the application.

Start with the residents, not the organisation’s history. State the local issue in plain language, identify the people most affected, and explain how you know. Then describe what will happen, where it will happen, how many people you expect to reach, and what participants will be able to do or experience as a result.

Make the Cambridge connection concrete. If an activity serves both city residents and people from elsewhere, give a credible estimate of the city-resident share and explain how you will reach those residents. A vague statement that an event is “open to everyone” is weaker than a clear access plan involving a named neighbourhood, trusted partner, free participation, accessible venue, or targeted outreach.

Show value for money without promising outcomes the budget cannot deliver. Link each major cost to an activity and outcome. If equipment is included, explain why it is essential and how it will be used. If partners are involved, describe each partner’s role, contribution, and responsibility for managing the work. The council welcomes partnerships and asks for evidence of shared goals, community need, impact measures, and a plan for sustaining the collaboration.

Keep sustainability proportionate to a small grant. It can mean a repeatable volunteer model, a lasting resource, a referral pathway, or a plan for continuing the most successful element. It does not require an unsupported promise of permanent growth.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is applying with an ineligible organisation or activity. Check the governance rules, statutory-service exclusions, geography, and CIC structure before writing a long narrative. A strong project cannot compensate for a basic eligibility failure.

Another common problem is treating the grant as unrestricted core funding. The award is restricted revenue funding for a defined activity or project. Show exactly what the requested amount will pay for and separate those costs from the organisation’s general operations.

Do not start delivery early or include costs from outside the award year. Do not assume that a second application is allowed because there are two rounds. The council says an organisation can hold an award from only one funding round each year.

Avoid a budget that depends on exceptions. Private-car travel, entry fees, unusual equipment, and refreshments need a clear connection to the activity and may still be excluded or limited. Ask the grants team about uncertain items before the deadline.

Finally, do not overlook governance evidence. Missing policies, an old bank statement, a single-signatory account, unsigned reports, or inconsistent accounts can make a well-designed activity difficult to approve. Treat the documents as part of the application’s credibility, not as administrative afterthoughts.

Frequently asked questions

Can an individual apply?

No. The programme funds eligible voluntary and community groups. An individual with an idea should form or join an appropriate group and contact the council to discuss the route forward.

Can a group request more than £5,000?

No. The Small Community Grant maximum is £5,000 for one activity or multiple activities combined. A larger project may need to be considered under another council programme, such as Large Community Grants, if it meets that programme’s rules.

Can a Community Interest Company apply?

Some CICs can apply. The CIC must be limited by guarantee and have an asset lock. CICs limited by shares are not eligible. The council may request additional CIC documents and will examine whether the funded activity creates undue private benefit.

Does the project have to take place inside Cambridge?

Generally, yes. Activities outside Cambridge are excluded unless no suitable local location exists, such as a necessary day trip to the seaside. Explain the exceptional local rationale clearly and ask the council before applying.

When will Round 1 money be paid?

The published timetable says successful Round 1 awards are expected to be paid in March 2027, after decisions around the end of February. Payment is subject to council budget approval, a signed grant agreement, and any outstanding conditions.

What reporting is required?

Recipients must complete a monitoring report explaining what they did and what difference it made to participants. The report is due within one month of the activity’s completion and, for both rounds, by 30 April 2028. Keep receipts, invoices, publicity material, and other supporting evidence. The council may request more information, and an unspent or unsupported award must be repaid in full.

Official links and next steps

Read the Cambridge City Council Small Community Grants page for the current eligibility criteria, exclusions, document list, assessment approach, contact details, and application dates. The grants portal linked from that page is the submission route when Round 1 opens.

Before 24 November 2026, confirm that the group’s governing document, committee structure, insurance, policies, bank account, accounts, and budget are current. Draft a one-page project outline covering local need, beneficiaries, activity, outcomes, timetable, and costs. Ask the council at [email protected] or 01223 457875 about any uncertain eligibility or document issue early enough to act on the answer.

On the application day, check the deadline’s exact time: the council states that Round 1 closes at midday on 12 January 2027. Submit through the grants portal, save the completed application and automated acknowledgement, and keep a clean record of the approved budget and delivery dates. If Round 1 is not the right fit, review the later Round 2 timetable rather than starting outside the permitted period.