Council launches another funding round to help bring community projects to life
The Council has launched a sixth funding round on the Cheshire West Crowd, with funding pots totalling £230,000 available to community projects across west Cheshire.
Run by the Council in partnership with Spacehive, the Cheshire West Crowd enables community-led projects to bring ideas to life, making the borough more vibrant, resilient and connected.
Since the Cheshire West Crowd first launched in 2021, 159 projects have successfully raised £2.5 million, calling on the support of almost 9,000 backers.
Councillor Paul Donovan, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Workforce and Communities, said:
We’re delighted to be holding another funding round and pledging more funds to community projects. Cheshire West Crowd has been very successful, making a real difference to projects and the people they support. The platform is easy to use and this type of crowdfunding is flexible as not only can projects pitch to the Council for funds, but they can also call on the support of their own community and generate real community spirit. I’d encourage anyone with an idea about how we can make west Cheshire a better place for people to live to use the Cheshire West Crowd.
There are two Council funding pots during this latest funding round. The Community Innovation Fund – worth £150,000 and the Climate Change Emergency Fund – worth £80,000, with pledges to individual projects likely to be in the region of £5,000 to £10,000.
Cllr Donovan added:
You can create a project at any time, with plenty of support available from Spacehive and the Council’s Communities team on your crowdfunding journey.
An on-line workshop will be held on Tuesday 1 April providing an opportunity for would-be project creators to hear more about the Cheshire West Crowd and how projects have benefitted from the initiative in the past. To register for the workshop, use the link below:
For the Climate Change Emergency Fund, projects are encouraged to email: climatechange@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
You’ll then be able to discuss your potential project with the Council’s Climate Change Emergency team so you can tailor it and improve the likelihood of receiving the Council’s support through this fund.
The deadline for projects to be created and verified on the Cheshire West Crowd, including submitting any bids to the Council, is Wednesday 4 June 2025.
Funding panels will take place throughout the summer, with all projects expected to hit their crowdfunding targets by November 2025.