HPC Community Fund Open Grants

Grant details

Grant size:Multi-year grants over £10,000 per year
Apply by:Open year-round. Next deadline Friday 13 December, 2024.
Decision in:Decisions made every 3 months. Next decision early February, 2025. If you're applying for over £50,000, it'll take around 8 months to reach a decision.

Who is it for?Local groups working in areas impacted by Hinkley Point C.

What is it for?To run projects, refurbish buildings or buy equipment.

Book a call to discuss

What can we use this money for?

Hinkley Point C (HPC) is one of the biggest developments that Somerset has ever seen. Building work started in 2017 and is expected to continue until at least 2027. It’s making a big difference to the lives of people living nearby, particularly in places like Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea and the surrounding villages.

The differences that people are experiencing have changed over the years. There have been new opportunities for people living in the area, but HPC has also impacted some people’s quality of life.

This fund is for communities living with these changes. You can ask us for money if your group works in one of these communities and you have an idea to make the local area better. Whatever you ask for, it must improve community wellbeing and quality of life.

Which groups can apply?

We can only consider your group for a grant from this fund if you meet our minimum standards and need money for an area impacted by HPC.

Our minimum standards cover things like:

  • the types of groups we can give a grant to and how we expect them to be run
  • how we expect those groups to manage their finances
  • how those groups keep people safe.

All of our minimum standards are on our FAQs page, where you can find lots of information about applying for funding.

You can also use our eligibility checker which will help you understand if you can apply for a grant from us.

When do we have to apply?

This fund is open all year round. There are 4 deadlines during the year. The next deadline for applications is Friday 13 December, 2024. Decisions will be made in early February, 2025.

How likely am I to get a grant?

Sadly, we can’t give funding to every group that applies to us.

We have over £1 million to give out from this fund each year.

We’re more likely to give you money if your group is:

  • in communities that have experienced bigger impacts from Hinkley Point C
  • supported by many people in the wider community
  • clearly addressing the impacts of HPC, or making the most of the opportunities it creates
  • working closely with other organisations to make sure everyone can benefit
  • offering good value for money
  • thinking about what will happen after the funding ends.

The Socio-Economic Advisory Group (SEAG) monitors a set of core indicators relating to the building of Hinkley Point C. These are reported to the government, stakeholders and investors. The data included in these reports can be a useful tool when applying to the HPC Community Fund.

How are decisions made?

Your application will be assessed by one of our team. They’ll read through what you’ve written, look at your supporting documents and check places like the Charity Commission and your website. We may contact you if we have any questions.

When we assess your application, we look at a number of different things. For example:

Community Need

  • A local Youth Club has noticed the local population has grown and people new to the area are unfamiliar with their new community. The club believes this population rise is because they’re based near Hinkley Point C, and on the route for the park-and-ride.
  • They know youth services have been shown to bring people together, form good relationships in communities and help increase young people’s community engagement. However, to work with more young people, they need more staff.

Community Benefits

  • The club’s committee have spoken with their community, including residents, schools and statutory organisations. They agree HPC has changed the way the local area is seen and are worried about community cohesion, safety and access to services.
  • The club’s plan is to offer more services for local young people, both new to the area and those who have lived there for a long time. They can work with local schools and organisations including the police to offer a strong service.
  • The club applies for funding to pay for a Youth Worker. They want this to help young people and ensure they can take advantage of the opportunities HPC offers by increasing wellbeing and self-confidence.

Community Priorities

  • The Youth Club has been a long-standing community organisation and the parish/town council sees it as an important facility to support young people. A local councillor supports developing the club and writes a letter of support for the project. This highlights how the community has grown and explains the community believes this is because of HPC. The parish council has also given some funding to the club, to show how important it is to the community
  • The club is in contact with other local services that support young people. They send a letter to show their support for the club.

Governance and Delivery

  • The Youth Club has been running for 10 years. The management team has successfully completed several upgrades and repairs to the facilities, demonstrating their capability to see this project through.
  • The club also has a strong safeguarding policy. This helps them keep their younger members as well as vulnerable adults safe.
  • The project plan has clear deadlines and outcomes to prove they’re making a difference in their community.
  • There is evidence of a strong committee which represents different members of the community.
  • The club can show good financial controls and money management.

Value for money

  • The plan clearly outlines the costs involved, including salaries, contributions and overheads.
  • The club has secured funding from other sources, including from a fundraising event held by their members and a grant from another funder.

Legacy

  • The benefits to young people will be carried through life and support their education, employment and personal development.

We’ll then usually make a recommendation and a panel will make the final decision. The panel is made up of representatives of SCF, Somerset Council and EDF as well as independent community members.

How do I apply to this programme?

Want to apply for funding? First talk to the person who manages it. Their details are below. If we think your project is a good fit then you’ll need to complete either a short expression of interest or full application depending on how much money you need.

Book a call to discuss

Get help with this funding programme

This funding programme is managed by Amelia, our Senior Programmes Manager. Amelia can help if you:

  • aren’t sure if you meet our minimum standards
  • aren’t sure if this is the best fund to apply for
  • can’t use our online form, need extra support with your application or if English isn’t your first language
  • can’t attach the documents we’ve asked for.

You can also book a time to meet with Amelia online by using the link below.

Amelia Thompson (She/Her)
Senior Programmes Manager
Working days: Mon - Fri

Grant details

Grant size:Multi-year grants over £10,000 per year
Apply by:Open year-round. Next deadline Friday 13 December, 2024.
Decision in:Decisions made every 3 months. Next decision early February, 2025. If you're applying for over £50,000, it'll take around 8 months to reach a decision.

Who is it for?Local groups working in areas impacted by Hinkley Point C.

What is it for?To run projects, refurbish buildings or buy equipment.

Book a call to discuss

Eligibility quiz

Check if you’re eligible to apply for our grants & funding.

Take our quiz

FAQs

You can find our minimum standards and everything else you need to know about applying on our FAQs page.

Browse our FAQs