New £50k fund announced to support Swansea community projects

In partnership with community fundraising platform Spacehive, the council says the latest round of the Crowdfund Swansea programme will enable people across the city to access funding for community improvement initiatives. 

The crowdfunding nature of this programme, in collaboration with local authority funding, maximises the amount campaigners can raise in order to deliver transformational locally-based projects that matter to them. 

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

The council and Spacehive say they are keen to hear from residents with innovative ideas to improve their local areas. No fundraising experience is necessary. Indeed, the majority of Spacehive creators are creating a community project for the first time. 

Spacehive assists project creators with online workshops, 1-2-1 support and resources, providing advice on everything from project costs to campaign promotion. 

This summer’s Crowdfund Swansea free one-hour online launch is due to take place from noon on Wednesday, August 9. It will offer key details on how to get involved. 

All project ideas should be launched on the Spacehive platform and pitched to the available funds by Wednesday, September 27.  

Having worked with Spacehive over the past year, the council says it has supported a range of transformational community-led ideas including Sweet Pickings, a pick-up and distribution project delivering fresh fruit to food banks, and botanical art studio Gower Grow Space, repurposed from an abandoned greenhouse.

Council cabinet member Andrew Stevens said: “The more people involved in Crowdfund Swansea the more amazing places we can create together.

“We’re ready to support more projects that put local people at the heart of the efforts to help Swansea kick on. This is especially important during the country’s ongoing cost of living crisis.

“Companies and foundations can join us in offering support to ideas people post on Crowdfund Swansea. This could be in funding or in-kind – anything that can help make projects a real success.

“Companies already supporting in this way include Gower Power Co-op CIC.”

(Lead image: Swansea Council)