The Borough Innovation Fund is an exciting initiative from Barking & Dagenham Giving and Clear Channel UK, in partnership with the charity Trees for Cities to improve and increase green spaces across Barking and Dagenham and give community groups and local people the chance to design and create new green spaces.
We welcome expressions of interest for collaborative projects taking place in Barking and Dagenham that will work with a diverse range of participants, and show strong community involvement in design and management. Examples of the types of activities this grant will support are:
- creating a community garden, especially for and with hard to reach groups
- improving green spaces for people and wildlife
- greening playgrounds to create natural play space and protect children from air pollution
- installing green sustainable drainage features, such as rain gardens
- creating connections between areas or green and enhancing active travel routes
- improving an area for and access to wildlife
- restoring rivers and other waterways
- creating pocket parks in urban areas
We won’t accept applications:
- Which do not benefit the community of Barking and Dagenham
- Which will benefit only the applicant
- For statutory services including schools and hospitals
- For projects that have already taken place and are seeking funding retrospectively
In addition, we will not fund the following activities:
- Street tree planting Borough-led street tree planting schemes are not currently eligible for funding. We will consider funding some tree planting in the public realm if it can be shown to be a key part of a wider project (such as greening a route to school or connecting existing green spaces).
- ‘Business as usual’ activities ‘Business as usual’ activities are not eligible. We can’t accept applications to fund routine maintenance or repairs, or projects that are a continuation of existing work.
- Land purchase: We will not fund the buying of land for your project.
If your organisation or community group is interested in receiving support for improving your local area, please apply here by 27 March at 17.00.
Selected applicants will be invited for an interview. Please note that while the application process is intended to be open and simple, we do not accept incomplete applications.
Depending on the type of project, we anticipate that the delivery will start in the autumn or the winter 2020.
