Investing in Spaces and Places Grant

Supporting grassroots community groups to transform spaces at the heart of their local community.

Investing in Spaces and Places is our higher value grant, funding up to £25,000 to enable communities across the UK to have a safe space for people to be together. This year, there will be over £1 million in funding available for groups across the UK.

Due to high demand, we have now closed applications for this grant. Please look out for further funding opportunities later this year.

From kitchen renovations to repairing a community centre roof or providing a communal garden area, our Investing in Spaces and Places grant enables local groups to bring people together in a safe, inclusive space. Since launching this grant in 2022 we have supported 90 fantastic groups to improve or transform a local community space. You can read some of these transformational stories here.

Area

Suitable For

Charities and not-for-profit organisations that benefit local people

Funding Size

Application Deadline

Application Window Closed

1. Read the full criteria to ensure your group/project is eligible to apply for this grant. You can use the online Eligibility Check to help with this.

2. Applications open on the 9th of July. To start your application, complete the Eligibility Check and if your group meets criteria, an ‘apply now’ button will appear.

3. By clicking the ‘apply now’ button, you will access our Grant Management System, hosted by SmartSimple. You will be prompted to register your organisation, which will include uploading your group’s required documents (see Essential Criteria). Once complete, you will be able to apply for an Asda Foundation Investing in Spaces and Places grant.

4. Once your group’s application is fully complete, and all required documents are provided, Asda Foundation will review your application. Applications which don’t meet all criteria points or are missing required documents will be unsuccessful.

5. Completed applications that meet criteria will be assessed and scored.

6. All funding outcomes will be communicated in September.

Community-led organisations supporting people from a space can apply for the Investing in Spaces and Places Grant, we aim to ensure that every organisation we support is:

• True to their community mission, with clear aims that they consistently strive towards achieving
• Efficiently Run, with processes in place to comply with not-for-profit requirements and the skills and ability to achieve their aims
• People Centred, with individuals at the heart of what they do and why they do it, whilst promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity
• Locally Focused, with space for the local community, delivering services and support to multiple beneficiaries, and adapting to change

We particularly encourage applications from groups who:

• Are located in an area of deprivation
• Are inclusive and encourage diversity
• Are tackling food poverty
• Are tackling local crime/ anti-social behaviour
• Have a positive environmental impact

All criteria below must be met in order to be eligible to apply and to be considered for this grant.

Groups must have:

• A total income under £100,000. Ring fencing won’t be accepted for smaller branches of national organisations, or smaller projects/groups which are managed and run by a parent organisation whose income exceeds £100,000. This is inclusive of all income for your organisation, including previous grants.
• Governing documents. This can be a Constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association. Your group’s documents should be signed and outline non-profit status and what would happen to assets upon dissolution.
• A safeguarding policy. Your group’s policy should be up-to-date and specific to your group. Further details on our safeguarding guidelines can be found here.
• Two Years of accounts. You will need to provide copies of your group’s finance accounts for two full years. These must cover the most recent two years. If your group is registered with Charity Commission (UK/NI), OSCR, or Companies House, accounts must be showing as up-to-date with these websites.
• A bank account that accepts cheques, and a bank statement which verifies the payee name. We are unable to make payment any other way. You must have an account in the name of the group. We can’t make payments to individual people, i.e. personal accounts. If the payee group named is different from the applicant group, we will need a ringfence email from the treasurer of the payee group stating the grant funding will only be used for the purpose outlined in the application form.
• A visible local presence. There must be information available online which shows your group’s active work within the community.
• No previous Investing in Spaces and Places Grant. Groups who have had a successful Investing in Spaces and Places Grant application in 2022 or 2023 are not eligible to apply for this grant.

• Ownership or lease. Your group must own the space or have at least five years remaining on the lease agreement.
• Cost. Asda Foundation must be contributing to at least 50% of the total project cost, up to a maximum of £25,000. (minimum grant: £10,000)
• Funds Raised. Your group must have raised at least 10% of the total project cost at the time of your application being submitted.
• Service Users. The space being applied for must be used by a range of groups for multiple activities on a regular basis or, will be used in this way once the project is complete.
• Timelines. Work must be able to begin by 31 December 2024. Work must be completed by 31 December 2025.
• Planning Permission. If your project requires planning permission, or permission from the building owner, we will request a copy of this if you are selected for funding.

All applications, documents and communication must be in English.

Projects funded by the Investing in Spaces and Places Grant must be at least one of:

1. Building Repair
2. Building Development
3. Outdoor Development

Projects must align with at least one of:

1. Create and/or develop safe and inclusive community spaces for groups to meet and bring people together. Encouraging people from different backgrounds and those facing barriers to participate, and projects that are open and accessible to the whole community, creating safe and positive places to be together.
2. Create or improve spaces which can be used by a range groups and activities on a regular basis. We’re interested in projects that increase the use of a space, encouraging a wide range of groups and activities to operate. We want to enable groups to improve community connections and reach new groups and people through our funded projects.
3. Support groups to deliver long-lasting projects focused on long-term community impact which can be maintained and continue to thrive after a grant is awarded from Asda Foundation.

Plans should already be underway for the project you put forward and the project should be addressing an already identified need in the local area. You must have raised at least 10% of the total project cost at the time of your application being submitted.

The Investing in Spaces and Places Grant can be used to fund a range of building activities. Below are the three categories this funding can support with. You can apply for one or a mixture of categories in your application.

• Building repairs to spaces and places which already exist but are in disrepair and therefore limit the usability, safety or level of expectations for others to use the space. The repair may be internal or external and may be due to age, vandalism, accident or abandonment. It may also be more than one item/issue which needs repair. Examples include, but aren’t limited to:
  • Roof repairs
  • Doors and windows repairs or replacement
  • Central heating replacement
  • Electrical wiring upgrade
  • Plumbing repairs or replacement
  • Building development to enhance the quality of a space already in use, or give more people and groups the opportunity to use the space. Examples include, but aren’t limited to:
    • New kitchen
    • Improving toilet facilities
    • Extension on a building
    • Developing an unused internal space
    • Improving disabled access and facilities
    • Security features to keep the space and place secure
    • Outdoor development to create or improve an outside space for the benefit of the community, with benefits such as improved mental wellbeing and reduced isolation, as well as new learning environments and conservation work. We are looking for outdoor space which benefits everyone and can be accessed by large groups of people. Examples include, but aren’t limited to:
      • Improving access to a community garden
      • Transforming wasteland into usable space
      • Upgrading a local play area development or upgrading safety features
      • Creating an outdoor learning environment
      What we wouldn’t fund

      Below are lists outlining what we wouldn’t fund under our Investing in Spaces and Places Grant. These lists are not exhaustive.

      We do not accept applications from groups which:

      • Are based outside the UK or benefit people/communities outside of the UK
      • Are animal charities or groups which have animal welfare as their main focus
      • Have an income of over £100,000
      • Are third-party grant-making organisations (grantees must directly deliver the service/activity)
      • Promote ‘Pub Culture’
      • Are schools (PTAs with their own bank account are welcome to apply)
      • Have a clear affiliation with a particular political party
      • Have previously been successful in applying for an Investing in Spaces and Places grant

      Grant money cannot be used for the following:

      • Projects which don’t focus on a space and place to be together
      • Planning costs, including architect, plans and scoping costs
      • Building regulation checks/applications
      • Ongoing running costs of the group, inc. core staffing costs, insurance and utility bills.
      • Equipment within a space or place, exclusively. The majority of the funding request must be for building works and permanent fixtures
      • Transport, vehicles or mobile spaces
      • To develop a space or place not owned or leased by the group applying
      • Purchase of a space or place
      • Space which has restricted access e.g. behind a locked gate
      • Space which is used infrequently or by a limited number of beneficiaries
      • Project/phase which has already taken place or has already started
      • Spaces or places usually considered a core state-funded responsibility e.g. school building
      • Projects which involve loans or social finance to fund any part of the project
      • Projects which are only for the benefit of one individual person and/or one specific group, rather than the wider community
      • Spaces and Places which charge high attendance or rental fees for people or groups
      Application process
      1. Read criteria – Please ensure you have read the criteria provided in full.
      2. Gather supporting documents – After reading the criteria to assess whether you are eligible, gather your Governing Documents, Safeguarding Policy, Bank Statement and Financial Accounts (see ‘Essential Criteria’ for details).
      3. Complete online application form – From 9th July, the application window will be open to complete an online registration and an application form. Make sure to upload the correct supporting documents. Further details on online application form completion can be found here.
      4. Asda Foundation review – Throughout July and August, Asda Foundation will review your application against this criteria.
      5. Asda Foundation scoring – In August, applications which meet all criteria points will then be scored.
      6. Funding announcement – If your project is successful, we will communicate this to you in September. All remaining unsuccessful projects will also be notified at this time.

      Due to high demand, we have now closed applications for this grant. Please look out for further funding opportunities later this year.