About the fund

The Chelmsley Wood Neighbourhood Board and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council are inviting local groups and organisations to play an important role in supporting their community’s involvement in the Pride in Place Plan — part of the UK Government’s Pride in Place Programme.

Grants are available to help local groups deliver community activities and events that ensure the Chelmsley Wood Pride in Place Plan is genuinely community-led and informed. This might mean building on existing activities, expanding your current programme, or growing a planned event taking place this summer or autumn.

Heart of England Community Foundation is administering this fund on behalf of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the Chelmsley Wood Neighbourhood Board.

 

Fund aims

This round of grants aims to:

• Promote and enable a shared ownership approach to the Pride in Place Programme, with locally established groups and organisations
• Recognise and build on the existing trust, relationships, connections and reach of locally established groups and organisations within Chelmsley Wood’s community
• Maximise the number of people who meaningfully engage with the Pride in Place Programme to help shape local priorities and plans
• Grants are only available for activities and events delivered within the Chelmsley Wood area. Please refer to the fund factsheet for the boundary map.

 

What we expect to achieve

• Local groups and organisations feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for the Pride in Place Programme
• A significant proportion of Chelmsley Wood’s population feels informed and able to influence the Pride in Place Programme
• The Neighbourhood Board can form a genuinely community-led Pride in Place Plan for Chelmsley Wood

 

What could be funded?

Examples of activities and events that could be considered for a grant include:

• Regular community activities — such as coffee mornings — where you would run Pride in Place consultation or engagement sessions
• Community events in public spaces or community centres with high footfall and opportunities for Pride in Place engagement
• Expanding your current activities to include dedicated Pride in Place consultation and engagement, such as outreach activities or additional sessions in your weekly or monthly programme

All funded activities must adopt the standard Pride in Place messaging and branding, and collect and share data from the community in a standardised format to help inform the development of the Pride in Place priorities and plan.

 

Available funding

The total funding available is £100,000.

• Individual organisations can apply for grants of up to £2,000
• Partnerships of two or more named organisations can apply for grants of up to £10,000, with one lead organisation. The amount awarded is likely to reflect the breadth and depth of the partnership.

 

Who can apply?

To be eligible, your group or organisation must:

• Have a strong local connection to Chelmsley Wood, evidenced through at least two years of continuous delivery in the area
• Be one of the following organisation types: registered charity, constituted community group, company limited by guarantee with charitable aims, community interest company, co-operative, registered community benefit society, registered industrial and provident society, or social enterprise
• Have an annual income of £1 million or less, as shown in your most recent annual accounts, with reserves in line with Charity Commission guidelines

If your organisation has been in the area for between one and two years, you may still be able to apply — please get in touch at prideinplace@solihull.gov.uk to discuss.

For public sector bodies, large charities or businesses, please contact Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council for an initial discussion via prideinplace@solihull.gov.uk.

We cannot fund:

Individuals or sole traders, companies limited by shares, capital builds, direct replacement of statutory obligations or public funding, promotion of religious or political activities, retrospective grants, national charities, organisations set up solely to promote a particular religion, organisations with a record of poor grant management or poor financial health, endowment contributions, deficit funding or loan repayments, animal welfare projects without direct benefit to people, statutory work in educational institutions, overseas travel or expeditions, medical research or equipment for statutory or private healthcare, general appeals, pure sponsorship or fundraising costs, or schools, churches, parish councils or PTAs unless clear community benefit is demonstrated.

 

What you will need to provide

To support your application, you will need to be able to provide:

• A list of your management committee, board of trustees, or board of directors (minimum three unrelated members), showing who has bank authorisation
• A written constitution, articles, or set of rules
• Your most recent annual accounts or financial records showing income, balance of funds, and reserves
• A bank account in the name of your organisation, with at least two unrelated signatories, and a bank statement from the last three months
• Food hygiene training or certificates, if applicable
• Risk assessments for venues and activities
• Safeguarding policy, if you will be working with children or vulnerable adults
• Equal opportunities policy
• Quotes for any capital items over £300

 

Data protection requirements

All successful grant applications will be dependent on the organisation being able to evidence adequate data protection policies, processes and practices to collect, store and share the personal data of Chelmsley Wood residents. Applicants should have this ready in advance of a potential grant award. Organisations that do not have these in place, or whose policies and practices are not deemed satisfactory, will be provided with support.

 

Key dates

• Fund closes: 1 December 2026 (or earlier if all funding is allocated — early applications are advised)
• All activities must be delivered by: 26 March 2027
• Final monitoring report due: 1 May 2027

 

Delivery phases:

1. Summer (June to September) — helping community views shape the Pride in Place Plan
2. Autumn — supporting community consultation on the Pride in Place Plan
3. Winter — keeping the community informed and engaged as Pride in Place funding is decided and allocated

 

Panel dates

Applications are assessed by a panel. The first two panel dates are:

• 2 July 2026
• 27 July 2026

Further panel dates to be announced. Applications must be submitted at least two weeks before a panel meeting.

 

Meet the funder

Want to find out more before you apply? Join us for a Meet the Funder session.

Wednesday 10 June 2026, 6.30pm — Microsoft Teams

Register on Eventbrite

Please note: tickets will be available from 8am on Monday 8 June.

 

Apply now

Apply here via the online application form

 

Download our factsheet

Chelmsley Wood Pride in Place Get Talking Fund — Factsheet (PDF)