Super Hubs - Hubs capital grant scheme - Grants

Closed to expressions of interest 31 July 2023.

There are already a total of 73 Talk Community Hubs active in communities across Herefordshire, offering a range of information and signposting to local residents of all ages. They build resilience in communities and support families and people of all ages to feel safe and stay well in their community.

The Hubs capital grant scheme is looking to support new and existing hubs to develop or enhance their offer to allow them to provide a wide range of services for local residents to access closer to their home through a one-stop-shop. This will build on the success of the Talk Community model and help to enhance and increase the community offer.

These hubs will offer multi-purpose and flexible space(s) that connect the local community, providing and hosting a range of activities and services open to all. Communities will be encouraged to develop their offer to reflect local need and demand by providing a bespoke offer to meet their community's need.

We are seeking expressions of interest which are community-led. By this we mean that the lead applicant must usually be a community or voluntary sector organisation. For example, the lead applicant might be a community group, a registered charity or a social enterprise. We are also keen to encourage partnership and collaborative working.

Vision for the funding

The vision for the funding is that:

• Hubs will aim to provide a one-stop-shop with an all ages approach to support local residents to access services within their local communities. Hubs will build on the success of the Talk Community model to enhance and increase the community offer
• Hubs will be community-led and driven with a focus on individual community need, the funding will allow communities to design, own and deliver a Hub that meets the needs of their community
• Hubs will place quality, innovation, productivity and prevention at the heart of community development

The aims of the grant scheme are to:

• Bring services closer to people in their communities
• Improve the wellbeing of the local population
• Increase access to more integrated services in communities with a focus on disadvantaged and deprived communities
• Connect the community through an all ages/whole family approach
• Transform and better utilise existing and unused buildings for the benefit of the community
• Reduce demand on formal health and care services
• Reduce the number of children and their families in crisis
• Reduce health inequalities
• Build more cohesive and resilient communities
• Provide a focus for community-led regeneration

• New and existing hubs to develop or enhance their offer
• Communities will develop their offer to reflect local need and demand by providing a bespoke offer to meet their community's need

The following are eligible as lead:

• Voluntary and community organisations
• Constituted groups or clubs
• Registered charities
• Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
• Not-for-profit organisations
• Community interest companies (CICs)
• State and independent schools (as long as your project benefits and involves the community and does not deliver activities that are part of the standard curriculum)
• Town and parish councils
• Community benefit societies
• Community amateur sports clubs
• Religious organisations – as long as the project or activity benefits the wider community and does not include religious content

All applications need to be able to demonstrate their organisational status and have a bank account in the same name.

The Hubs capital grant scheme is a capital only grant scheme. Grants are available for the physical improvement of community facilities. This could include land and buildings.

Capital means physical works and professional fees directly related to the physical works (including non-recoverable VAT).

The purchase of equipment is sometimes eligible, for example where a project includes the fitting out of a new facility such as a kitchen or IT suite.

The grant can cover all capital project related costs as long as these are clearly substantiated, linked to your project and included within your original proposal.

The grant will not fund the following items and activities:

• Revenue costs, including the costs associated with developing a business plan
• Projects that do not benefit people living in Herefordshire
• Venues that are not within the county of Herefordshire

There are two grant levels:

• Between £5,000 - £50,000
• £50,000 - £300,000

Applicants requesting a grant for over £50,000 and above will require more detail than those asking for under £50,000.

The maximum amount of grant that can be applied for is £300,000 during the life-time of the scheme.

This fund is closed to applications.

Please email hubscapitalgrantscheme@herefordshire.gov.uk