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There isn’t a single overarching national policy governing councillor grant schemes across the UK. These are typically managed at the local authority level, with each setting its own rules, budgets, and application processes. However, they are very common, especially among district, borough, and county councils, and are widely used to support grassroots charities and community groups. Most councils in England, Wales, and Scotland offer some form of councillor or ward funding, often ranging from £500 to £8,000 per councillor per year. These are typically known as councillor grants, ward funds, locaility budgets or member budgets.
I'm very grateful to David Plant, the Fundraiser at the Field Studies Council for the list below of example councillor funds which he compiled and kindly agreed to make public to help everyone. I've added some and would be very grateful for any others I might add. You'll get a thank you to. Send your to ian@charityexcellence.co.uk. If you can't find yours, scroll down to the next section.
| County | Council | Amount | When | Notes |
| Bedfordshire | Central Bedfordshire Council | £2,000 per councillor | Annually (Spring) | Online application with local councillor support |
| Devon | Devon County Council | £8,000 per councillor | Rolling | Contact local councillor with details of project. They will send application form if able to support. |
| Durham | Durham County Council | No details available | No details available | Each county councillor has a budget that they can allocate to projects in the local community. |
| Essex | Essex County Council | Up to £5,000 per councillor | March each year | Contact local councillor and submit project details |
| Essex | Braintree District Council | Up to £1,250 per councillor | Rolling | Apply through local councillor |
| Hampshire | Hampshire County Council | Varies per councillor | Rolling until funding exhausted | Submit application via councillor |
| Hampshire | East Hampshire District Council | £7,000 per councillor | Quarterly reviews | Complete form and liaise with ward councillor |
| Hampshire | Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council | £3,000 per councillor | Rolling | Apply online or contact councillor |
| Hampshire | Test Valley Borough Council | Maximum £1,000 | Rolling | Councillors Community Grant Scheme |
| Manchester | Wigan Council | Annual £6,000 pot | No deadline | Brighter Borough fund - schemes that improve the environment and benefit the community. |
| Monmouthshire | Cwmbran Community Council (Wales) | £1,000 per councillor | Ongoing pilot | Approach councillor directly |
| Monmouthshire | Pontypool Community Council (Wales) | £2,500 per councillor | Ongoing | Apply with short written proposal |
| Monmouthshire | Torfaen Borough Council (Wales) | £1,500 per councillor | Rolling | Contact councillor directly with project details |
| Norfolk | West Norfolk District Council | £50 to £1,000 | Ongoing until budget used | Download form and submit with project details |
| Northamptonshire | Northampton Town Council | Grant amounts not exceeding £2,000. | No information | Councillors’ Community Fund is open to applicants with the support of their ward councillor to enhance economic, social and environmental wellbeing |
| Nottinghamshire | Nottingham County Council | Every Councillor has £3,000 | No information | Councillors' Divisional Fund - projects, people and organisations in their areas. |
| Oxfordshire | South Oxfordshire District Council | £250 to £7,500 | 8 November 2024 | Apply via online form |
| Suffolk | Suffolk County Council | Each councillor has £6,000 | No information |
Councillors' Locality Budgets |
| Suffolk | West Suffolk Council | £2,800 | I think mid-Jan. |
Locality budget for developing and building, capacity and resilience in local communities |
To find your local council, click this link and type in your post code.
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