Essex County Council Community Challenge Fund

1. All applications must demonstrate how they support one or more of the following themes :-

1. Giving everybody a chance to get involved in where they live
2. Increasing and spreading opportunities
3. Creating places or spaces where people are happy to spend time
4. Helping people who experience difficulties in accessing services and/or economic opportunities*
5. Providing support in rural areas experiencing disadvantage *

*Themes 4 and 5 only apply to applications being made from rural areas of Braintree and replace themes 1-3 

2. Funding must be for a new, not for profit, scheme/group/initiative or idea, and applications must show how their initiative will have long term benefits and longevity.

3. Applications to the Community Challenge Fund can only be made by people who live or work with communities in the areas on the following page (any awards must be used in the same area).

4. Applications that support one or more of the following groups will be looked on positively :-

1. Children and adults with SEND, learning disabilities, or mental health conditions (taking an all-age approach)
2. Children on free school meals
3. Working families
4. Young adults (16-25) who have not been in education, training or employment for around 6-12 months

Who can apply:
You can apply as :-

• You (applying as an individual)
• You and other individuals you are working with (applying as a group)
• A non-constituted group (small scale voluntary groups who do not have any employees and who do not pay trustees or staff)
• A Registered Charity, Community Interest Company (CIC) or Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) (where this is a new proposal and not a part of your core business) 

Apply here.