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Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund

Applications are now open

Applications for round 2 of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund are now open until noon on Friday 27th January 2023.

The £2.6m fund is open to all residents of Greater Manchester, supporting community-led projects that increase the amount and quality of accessible, nature-rich green space in the city region, particularly in the areas where people need it most.

Green Spaces Fund timings as of October 2022

Application guidance

The documents below should be used to help shape your application - please take the time to read the guidance for applicants, frequently asked questions and terms & conditions before you apply. There are also templates to help you write your application offline and plan your project activities and costs, alongside a useful introductory webinar for potential applicants.

We advise that you download the application form document and use it to prepare your application offline, before copying your answers across to the online application form at the bottom of this page when you are ready to submit. You can also contact one of our Green Spaces Fund Advisors for help with your application - see below for further details.

Please note: some of these documents have been updated since the first round closed, so please do consult this guidance again if you are re-applying in round 2.

Guidance

Templates

Further support: Green Spaces Fund Advisors

Our dedicated Green Spaces Fund Advisors are on hand to support any residents or groups looking to apply, offering expert advice on how to shape a strong application and guiding applicants through the process step by step. Each advisor covers a different area of Greater Manchester - you can contact your local advisor directly using the following details:

Click here to learn more about our Green Spaces Fund Advisors. 

Application form

Once you have prepared your application using the templates and guidance above, complete the form below by noon on Friday 27th January 2023 to be considered for the second round of funding.

Essential criteria

Do you own the land being used for the project or have the correct legal permission to access the site and carry out the project?
Please select one option only.
Public access: The public's assess to green space is a key aspiration of the fund. Your project MUST have public access for all members of the public, not just your group or organisation's members. Please see our guidance document for a full definition of accessibility. Will your project be publicly accessible?
Please select one option only.
Planning permission: If planning permission is needed, you MUST have received this in writing (proof will be asked for) before you apply.
Please select one option only.

Section 1: About your organisation

We will use these contact details should we have any follow-up questions on your application and to let you know the outcome of your application after the deadline has been reached.
 
If applicable.
If applicable.

Accountable body

If you are working with or being supported by an accountable body, such as a Local Authority, Local Parish Council or Registered Housing Provider, please list their details here.
 
If applicable.
If applicable.
If applicable.
If applicable.

About the organisation applying for the fund

1.14 Organisation type
Please only select one option.
If applicable.
Please describe your organisation’s mission statement, aims and any activities or services you provide. This information will be used on our website when we promote your project. (Word limit - 50 words).
 
If applicable.
Please provide the month and year your organisation was set up.
If applicable.
If applicable.

Your organisation's policies, procedures and insurance

1.21 Your organisation will need the following policies, procedures and insurances in place: safeguarding policy (if applicable), volunteering policy (recommended), Public Liability Insurance, Health and Safety policy, organisation's governing document, a photo consent policy and document for project participants
Please select one option only.

Section 2: About your project

2.1 Please state which grant you are applying for
Please only select one option. We expect applications to be fully costed and detail a specific amount using our project cost template, we will not accept general applications for the maximum amount of funding available in each category.
2.2 Has your application been supported by a Green Spaces Fund Advisor?
These are detailed in the accompanying Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund guidance. Please email GSFAdvisors@groundwork.org.uk to be assigned an advisor.
If applicable.
In 100 words or less tell us about your project.
Please provide a full address for your project. We will be prioritising projects from communities in greatest need.
 
Via https://what3words.com/
2.9 GMCA district(s) covered by this project
Please tick all that apply.
In the box below please describe your project activities, including timings and a description of the activities and who will be completing them (Word limit – 500 words)
 
Please upload an excel spreadsheet outlining what are you going to do and when using the template provided.

Please estimate the physical changes and activities that will take place in your project, and approximately when you are planning for each of these to take place in your project. 

Please use the following protocol for naming this document “[your organisation name]-Project Activities"
One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.
Please detail who will be involved and what will they do - include who is involved from the local community, who are the people doing the work, any volunteers and outside agencies involved (Word limit - 300 words)
(Word limit - 300 words)

Section 3: Meeting the aims of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund

As part of the application process, we need to understand the community need for your project, and how your project idea will help address inequalities and meet the aims of the fund.

The aim of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund is to tackle inequalities in access to green spaces across the city region and benefit communities in greatest need.

The fund has three objectives that project proposals should try to meet:

  1. To benefit communities in greatest need of quality green space
  2. To tackle our biodiversity emergency
  3. To encourage and empower communities to get involved in nature
The Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund should tackle inequalities by targeting green improvements towards communities most in need and encouraging action by communities, where there is poorer access to quality green space. 

What is the need for quality green space in your project area, how is this affecting communities, and what will your project do to help reduce these issues? Describe any issues with access to green space faced by your community and how your project will help address these issues (Word limit - 400 words)
Describe any other issues or challenges faced in your project area and by your community, for example unemployment or access to health care, and how your project could help (Word limit - 400 words)
 
Describe how your project has been developed by the community (Word limit - 400)
 
The Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund aims to increase the amount and quality of green spaces to benefit people and nature and help tackle the biodiversity emergency.

What will your project do to enhance nature in green spaces or create new spaces for nature? (Word limit - 400 words
How will your project encourage and empower communities to get involved with nature? Describe who you will engage with and how, what specific engagement activities you will undertake during the project and what volunteer opportunities will be available. (Word limit – 400 words)

Section 4: Evaluating the impact

We would like to record the benefits or impact of your project. Which of our monitoring measures will your organisation be able to report on? Please select from the list below. These monitoring measures will form part of your end-of-project report.
 
4.1 What will you monitor?
Please tick all that apply.
If applicable.

Section 5: Grant requested

Please itemise all the costs associated with your whole project. Detail what you will be using the grant for, if your application is successful. These should be specific itemised costs. See the accompanying Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund Guidance for a list of eligible items.

Please use the following protocol for naming this document “[your organisation name]-Project Costs"
One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

 

Section 6: Acknowledgement

As part of the grant agreement, you must acknowledge your funding through press releases, social media posts, case studies, and by displaying our partnership logo and acknowledging funding sources. Please read the accompanying terms and conditions of the grant award carefully. Providing us with images of your project, a final project report, and engaging in post-project monitoring is an important condition of your grant award. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct photo consents are obtained and that we are granted permission to make use of the images you provide.

Section 7: Data sharing

Please confirm you are happy for the information you have provided in this form to be shared with our assessment panel and our partner organisations, working on the delivery of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund.
 

Section 8: Declaration

If applicable.

Section 9: Organisation bank details

Please note these must match any bank statements provided and should be for the organisation that will be receiving the grant.
 
Please note these details must match the bank details provided above. If you are a newly formed organisation please look at our guidance document for more help on what to submit in this section.

Please use the following protocol for naming this document: “[your organisation name]-Bank Statement".
One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.