Ipswich Borough Council has been awarded £1.5m from the Pride in Place Impact Fund [Pride in Place Impact Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK] to invest in three key themes in Ipswich:
- Improving community spaces
- Improving public spaces
- High street and town centre revitalisation
As part of this fund, we are proud to open our Pride in Place: Community Buildings fund to applications.
This initial part of the Pride in Place investment is looking for projects needing funding to achieve one of the following targets:
- providing funding to a community group to take ownership of a disused asset
- providing funding to refurbish or improve an asset already in community ownership
- funding to refurbish or improve assets owned by public bodies for community activity
- funding to create, improve or refurbish maker spaces
- funding to create or improve art galleries, theatres, museums, libraries, cultural or heritage sites, sports facilities
- creating or expanding on existing community assets to promote community cohesion
Outcomes
The funding seeks to create new or improved spaces which
- build strong, resilient, prosperous and inclusive communities
- improve health and well-being
- increase pride in the neighbourhood
Your application will need to speak to how you will achieve one, or all, of these outcomes for the people of Ipswich and successful projects will be given an evaluation framework to use to measure their progress.
Funding value
The maximum total value of the investment is £1.5m and we have not set an upper or lower limit for applications – we would like you to apply for what you think you need and applications will be considered on the potential community outcomes of that investment value.
This funding is capital funding so will need to be spent on the fabric of the building and indoor spaces, large equipment purchases and associated costs. This fund cannot be used on the revenue costs incurred by an organisation such as staffing, overheads or utilities. More information on eligible costs can be found in the Pride in Place Impact Fund Prospectus [link Pride in Place Impact Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK]
Eligibility criteria
Ipswich Borough Council is the accountable body for this fund and, working with our local MPs and key stakeholders, will pass this funding on to eligible organisations and projects in the form of grants.
Eligible legal structures for recipients include:
- voluntary organisations and registered charities.
- public sector organisations
- higher and further education institutions
- private sector companies
Religious organisations can receive Pride in Place Impact Fund funding to deliver community projects that are aligned with the fund’s objectives e.g. refurbishing a building owned by a religious organisation to provide community activities.
How to apply
A first round grant window is open currently until 5pm on Friday 27th February 2026
You will need to complete the Expression of Interest form to be considered as an applicant Expression of Interest: Pride in Place Impact Fund - Community Buildings – Fill out form
We have tried to keep this first stage EOI as straightforward as possible to reduce the time spent completing a first stage application. However, you will need an indicative funding amount, a good idea of what you want to spend the grant on, and how local people will benefit.
For those candidates successful from the EOI stage, further information will be requested including but not limited to:
- Organisational accounts
- Quotes for capital works and costs
- Evidence of legal structures
-
Evidence of matched funding where stated
What is requested will be proportionate to the sum of funding being requested.
Subject to these due diligence checks being made we anticipate making grant awards for round one from late March onwards depending on the complexity of the application.
We anticipate opening a second window for grant applications on 3oth March 2026, however this will be subject to there being sufficient funding remaining at that time.
Contact information
For more information or to speak to a member of the team about this fund, please email: Communities@ipswich.gov.uk