We know that local places really matter to our citizens. People make places great.
Lots of new ideas for how we can support each other and stay connected have come from our towns, villages and neighbourhoods during Covid-19. Growing Great Places crowdfunding could be a way for you to get a great idea off the ground in your local place.
The programme is run by the Democracy service at Kirklees Council. We want everyone to be able to have a real stake in the places where we live, work or visit. By running a crowdfunding campaign with Growing Great Places, you’ll have the opportunity to involve backers in your project, spread the word, and connect with others who care about your local place.
How much can you crowdfund for?
You choose your own crowdfunding target. Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are here to support you and make sure that your campaign has the best chance of succeeding. We offer lots of advice and support. If local people back your idea, groups could also receive a pledge of up to £5k of funding from Kirklees Council (and up to 2.5k for citizens).
Who can crowdfund?
Local organisations, informal groups and citizens can start a crowdfunding campaign. If you’re part of a mutual aid group without your own bank account, you may be able to work with a community organisation to run a crowdfunding campaign for your project.
What can be crowdfunded
Growing Great Places is for projects that bring people together to get involved in making our local places even better, through your local energy, skills, assets and creativity.
Find out more
We’re keen to hear from anyone who might like to start crowdfunding soon, so we can learn how to support you best. Please email: GrowingGreatPlaces@kirklees.gov.uk
Extra help for local campaigns
Both Kirklees Council and our partners at Spacehive are doing more to support groups who are crowdfunding at this time. Spacehive have waived their standard 5% fee until 20th June 2020 for projects who are raising funds during lockdown and are offering an extension of up to two months to give people more breathing space. Kirklees Council are being more flexible about the percentage of project costs that we can pledge to fund.
Spacehive have also relaxed their criteria so that organisations can crowdfund for running costs (so even if your project isn’t right for Growing Great Places, you could still run a campaign). You can find out more on the Spacehive website about how mutual aid groups and community organisations across the country are crowdfunding to support others during Covid-19.
