Better Futures Fund
Providing financial help and support for community projects around the Bristol Water supply area.
How does it work?
Bristol Water are part of the Pennon Group alongside South West Water, SES Water and Bournemouth Water.
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in supporting projects and charities in the places where we live and work, helping to build stronger communities.
To provide more support to our communities, the Pennon Group have launched the £5m Better Futures Fund. For Bristol Water customers the fund will provide £564,000 over five years, in addition to the £200m programme to help customers who are vulnerable or struggling financially across the Pennon family.
The fund includes £2.5m for community groups involved with physical activity, education, health and wellbeing, and positive environmental impacts. The remaining £2.5m will go towards alleviating hardship.
Better Futures will help to unlock opportunities and bring positive change to the communities we serve.
ActionFunder
We’ve partnered with ActionFunder, an online platform that matches organisations like ours to not-for-profit community groups like yours.
ActionFunder will match you with us and our Community Outreach Team will review these matches monthly.
If you’re successful we’ll send you a funding invitation through ActionFunder, and the rest is taken from there.
If we can’t offer support on that occasion, you’ll be able to match with other organisations through ActionFunder, or we may revisit you at our next review.
Apply for funding now
We’re using the ActionFunder website to help us manage the fund. Visit their site for details of how to apply.
Community funding - eligibility criteria
To apply for a share of the community funding, your project needs to involve one or more of the following:
- Nature and the environment Projects and organisations that directly impact and protect nature for the benefit of community health and wellbeing
- Education Providing new opportunities to help people of all ages grow and develop
- Community Groups that bring people together to create a sense of purpose within communities
- Vulnerability Organisations providing care and support to people who need extra help.
If you have questions about the fund or want to check if your project is eligible, please email BetterFuturesCommunity@bristolwater.co.uk.
Who can apply?
You need to be located within our service area. The following are eligible to apply:
- Schools, colleges or academies
- Registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Local community groups such as: cricket clubs, allotment groups, scout groups, garden clubs etc.
What we can fund
Things we can fund include:
- Equipment hire and purchase
- Skills and training
- Employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project
- Professional fees i.e. builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency
What we can’t fund
We’re unable to help with the following:
- Applications submitted by a person aged under 18 years old
- Commercial businesses that make a profit (e.g. limited company, sole trader)
- Individuals
- Organisations and projects based outside of our service area
- Projects where we are not the majority funder and will require further funding to complete
- Retrospective costs – we will only fund new projects
- Projects with a political or religious purpose*
- Projects that have been unsuccessful with an application in the same financial year (April to April)
* We can fund religious organisations if their project benefits the wider community and doesn’t include religious content.
Who can apply?
You need to be located within our service area. The following are eligible to apply:
- Schools, colleges or academies
- Registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Local community groups such as: cricket clubs, allotment groups, scout groups, garden clubs etc.
What we can fund
Things we can fund include:
- Equipment hire and purchase
- Skills and training
- Employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project
- Professional fees i.e. builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency
What we can’t fund
We’re unable to help with the following:
- Applications submitted by a person aged under 18 years old
- Commercial businesses that make a profit (e.g. limited company, sole trader)
- Individuals
- Organisations and projects based outside of our service area
- Projects where we are not the majority funder and will require further funding to complete
- Retrospective costs – we will only fund new projects
- Projects with a political or religious purpose*
- Projects that have been unsuccessful with an application in the same financial year (April to April)
* We can fund religious organisations if their project benefits the wider community and doesn’t include religious content.
Who can apply?
You need to be located within our service area. The following are eligible to apply:
- Schools, colleges or academies
- Registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Local community groups such as: cricket clubs, allotment groups, scout groups, garden clubs etc.
What we can fund
Things we can fund include:
- Equipment hire and purchase
- Skills and training
- Employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project
- Professional fees i.e. builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency
What we can’t fund
We’re unable to help with the following:
- Applications submitted by a person aged under 18 years old
- Commercial businesses that make a profit (e.g. limited company, sole trader)
- Individuals
- Organisations and projects based outside of our service area
- Projects where we are not the majority funder and will require further funding to complete
- Retrospective costs – we will only fund new projects
- Projects with a political or religious purpose*
- Projects that have been unsuccessful with an application in the same financial year (April to April)
* We can fund religious organisations if their project benefits the wider community and doesn’t include religious content.
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