Funding and Grants

GLP (formerly Gazeley) Community Fund

  • The Magna Park owners and developers have released their Lutterworth Area Community Fund
  • Anybody welcome to apply
  • More information here

Eight Parishes Community Interest Company (CIC)

  • Swinford Wind Farm is just a few miles from Cotesbach. Its developers and operators Vattenfall committed to a community fund for some villages surrounding the wind farm. Cotesbach is one of those villages.
  • The fund enables grants to be awarded to each village on an application basis. The application forms are available on the Eight Parishes CIC website here.
  • The fund is managed and administered by a CIC, with a representative from the Parish Council of each village being a trustee on the CIC.
  • The CIC allocates each Parish Council its portion of the fund every year, but the fund is held centrally by the CIC and only called on when a grant has been awarded.
  • Each Parish Council is promotes the funds to its village, accepting applications and deciding which applications should be successful.
  • Applications are accepted at any time, and are typically decided at a Parish Council meeting.
  • There are no stringent application criteria, but Cotesbach Parish Council have agreed to support applications that are designed for more asset or capital items that benefit as many villagers as possible.
  • Each Parish Council completes an annual report on the applications received and grants awarded for each year. Visit the Eight Parishes CIC website here to see these. Look for Cotesbach’s reports to give an indication of previously successful (and unsuccessful) applications.
  • Download here some guiding principles for applications and further information on the fund, agreed and adopted by the Parish Council in January 2020.

Leicestershire Community Funds

  • Leicestershire provide a useful list of grants and funds that they administer or have access to.
  • These include the SHIRE Community / Heritage and Environment Grants.

Landfill Communities Fund

  • For communities living within 10 miles of a landfill site, the operators of the site are able to provide funds to these communities through a tax credit scheme.
  • The funds should be helping restore the landfill environment, promote the use of public spaces or encourage diversity amongst other goals.
  • Individuals can’t typically apply, and the applications usually need to be made in conjunction with the landfill operator.
  • More information is available here.

Solar Farm Fund

A grant has been received from Lightsource who operate the Solar Park. This will be used for community projects as approved by the Parish Council.