| Organisation | Project | Amount granted |
| Multicultural Community Heritage Association | Eid Reunion 2026 | £1,500 |
| Chinese Culture Connection | Chinese New Year: A Celebration for All Communities | £1,000 |
| The Rock | Primary club | £1,500 |
| Art for All Mental Health | Nature Journalling in Pitville Park for Mental Health | £2,000 |
| Friends of Leckhampton Hill & Charlton Kings Common (‘FOLK’) | 'Training Our People', part of a major initiative 'Investing In Our People' initiated by FOLK in 2024 | £600 |
| Be a Good Neighbour | Thursday Tea after school club | £1,100 |
| Pride in Gloucestershire | Pride In Cheltenham | £2,000 |
| The Armoury Gym - Fresh Hope | The Armoury Exercise classes for those with disabilities. | £1,100 |
| Parish of West Cheltenham Parochial Church Council | Relandscaping St Aidan's Garden | £1,500 |
| Cheltenham Paint Festival 2026 | Cheltenham Paint Festival 2026 | £2,000 |
| Friends of Sandford Parks (FOSP) | Renovation of Gottingen Garden | £1,100 |
| Public Hearts Defibrillator Campaign | Public Hearts Defibrillator installation with bleed control kit. | £1,840 |
| Springbank Community Group CiC | Gardening for Wellbeing | £1,100 |
| Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees | Connecting Communities Through Film | £1,385 |
| Brizen Young People's Centre | Summer Holiday Youth Activity Scheme | £2,000 |
| Cheltenham Education Partnership | CEP Activity Programme: Skills Builders and Changemakers themes | £1,950 |
| Read With Me | Every child reading - Cheltenham | £2,000 |
| St Micheal's Cornerstone Trust | Play Trail | £1,500 |
| The Greenwoods Foundation CIC | The Moors Forest School Club | £1,050 |
| Monkscroft Pastoral Care Project | Family Planting & Water Fun Group | £1,750 |
| KAM Performing Arts Academy CIC | West Cheltenham Arts Community Choir | £1,400 |
| Fairview Community Association (FCA). | Rebuilding & Relaunching our Digital Community Hub | £600 |
| TOTAL | 31975 |
Community pride fund
This year our community pride funding pot is worth £30,000. The fund is for local groups in Cheltenham to be more influential in supporting their communities and improving their neighbourhoods.
We are now inviting applications for community pride grants to match-fund community-led projects, up to the value of £2,000 which will help build community pride and deliver lasting impact across one or more of the following themes:
- Connecting people - fostering new relationships and celebrating our culture and diverse communities
- Enhancing biodiversity and the natural environment - improving and creating accessible and inclusive green and urban spaces for enjoyment and learning
- Supporting children and their families as part of No Child Left Behind’s Year of Education for All - helping children and young people to thrive and reach their potential
- Improving community safety – addressing safety issues both in the physical world and online
- Promoting wellbeing - encouraging physical and mental well-being across our communities
Making an application
Please read the application guidelines below before you apply.
Submit a community pride fund applicationPlease ensure you complete all parts of the application form. The application form has to be completed and submitted in one go. However, you have the option to "save my response to edit" on the thank you page once you have submitted it and you will be able to edit your response until the closing date.
The closing date for community pride fund applications is Thursday 10 September 2026 at 10am.
For more information please contact: community.services@cheltenham.gov.uk
Application guidelines 2026
Projects need to be accessible at no cost to the general public and need to create a lasting legacy for the local community. We will only fund time-limited projects up to a maximum of 12 months from the project start date.
Applications must be accompanied by evidence that the applicant will secure the necessary permissions to enable the work to proceed.
Who can apply?
Any constituted voluntary sector, community or neighbourhood-based organisation or school with a formal constitution and a UK-based bank account in the name of your organisation can apply.
Parish councils are eligible to apply but the level of other funding that the parish has access to for neighbourhood improvements (for example Community Infrastructure Levy funding) will be considered.
The awarding criteria will seek to distribute this funding evenly across Cheltenham.
How much can be applied for?
Any group may apply for a single award up to a maximum of £2,000.
Please be aware that as the fund is limited, and is always oversubscribed, the council will look to fund only those projects that offer the best value for money.
Funding will be allocated on a 50 per cent match-funding basis. This means the council will fund 50 per cent of the agreed costs of the project, with the other 50 per cent of costs being met by the organisation through either match-funding or contributions in-kind. In-kind contributions are defined as non-cash contributions to a project, typically donated goods and services or staff and volunteer time, which are necessary for the project and would otherwise have to be purchased for the project to go ahead. We will only pay the grant once you can demonstrate that the other funding is in place.
Funding criteria
The community pride fund panel, which includes the leader of the council, the relevant cabinet member and a representative of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) will assess all submitted applications in September 2026. They will consider the information supplied on the proposals form to assess the following:
Screening questions
- Is the organisation eligible to apply – Y/N
- Does the project deliver against one or more of the community pride themes – Y/N
- Is the organisation able to contribute at least 50% match funding – Y/N
- Is the project based in Cheltenham – Y/N
Criteria that will be scored:
- How well does the project represent value for money in terms of its community benefits compared with the amount of grant requested?
- How well has the applicant set out that the project will meet an identifiable need in the community or build on an opportunity?
- The scale of what the project will achieve in terms of a publicly accessible project that creates a long-term legacy for the community?
- How many people will benefit from the activity?
- The degree to which the project can realistically be delivered within the proposed timescales?
We are also looking for assurances that the project deliverer will put in place a robust system for collecting, monitoring and assessing the impacts of the project and for reporting and sharing this information.
Where projects involve working with children and young people, we will also ask you about what measures you have in place to safeguard their wellbeing.
Groups will also need to have current and relevant liability insurance in place before any agreement can be signed.
If the project is to take place on council-owned land, applicants must get prior permission from the relevant department - either the green spaces team or the property team. The award of a grant does not confer formal permission from the council for the project to go ahead; applicants will still need to seek the landlord's permission, planning permission or licensing consents as appropriate.
The council will not be held liable for any damage caused to public property and the council will not accept any liability for claims for damage, loss or injury resulting from the project.
What we won't fund
- Any events or activities of a political nature
- Ongoing revenue commitments
- Projects being delivered outside the boundaries of Cheltenham borough
- Projects that cannot demonstrate that the necessary permissions will be achieved within the appropriate timescales
Agreements
Before the project can start, the council will enter into a project agreement with the provider which will set out various obligations on the two parties.
Grant payments
For successful applicants, payments will generally be made in arrears on receipt of a completed performance management report and claim form. However, we can arrange advance payments to help with cash-flow but this will be subject to checks and you will be liable to repay this if your project does not make satisfactory progress.
Other considerations
Please be aware that as this is public money, the funding will be subject to inspection and audit. Any fraudulent activity will be quickly identified and reported to the police.
Previous grants allocated
See the list of grants that have been allocated in previous years.
- Kings ABC: Boxing for life - £1,900
- Lives of Colour: Culture Fest - £3,000
- Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024: £1,500
- Fresh Hope, School House Cafe: Community lunch development - £1,500
- Bangladeshi Community Association: Eid Ananda - £2,000
- Gas Green Youth and Community Centre: Gas Green weekly community drop in - £1,900
- West Cheltenham Partnership: Springbank Music Project - £1,200
- 10th Cheltenham Scout Group: Community Hub in Pittville Park - £1,250
- Monkscroft Community Action Group: Monkscroft Community Garden Project - £1,250
- Pride in Gloucestershire: Pride in Cheltenham 2025 - £1,500
- Cheltenham Festivals: My Voice, My Cheltenham at Cheltenham Literature Festival - £2,000
- Gloucestershire Puja And Cultural Association: Celebration of Hindu festival of Durga Puja (Durga Ashtami) 2024 - £1,250
- Friends of Elmfield: Community Rest Garden Paths and Shelter - £2,000
- GARAS on behalf of newly formed Resettled Families Peer Group Homeward Horizon: Homeward Horizon - £2,000
- InterClimate Network: ACT Acting together on climate change - £2,000
- The Music Works in partnership with Cheltenham Borough Homes: St Marks Youth Music Connect - £2,250
- The Wilson: The Kids Arts Club - £1,500