Your station, Your community Improvement Fund
We’re launching a new improvement fund called ‘Your station, your community’, to support local charities, our customers, and the communities on our line of route, focusing on the causes that are of key importance to local communities on our network and to us.
The fund supports the following key themes: mental health, education, and employability skills amongst marginalised groups, as well as diversity and inclusion and environmental sustainability.
Over the next three years, we will be allocating up to £500,000 a year to fund projects based up to 15 miles from stations on our network.
We welcome applications from registered charities, community groups and other not-for-profit organisations such as rail user groups, community rail partnerships, business partnerships, town councils, parish councils and schools.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for applications for initiatives taking place within 15 miles of stations on our network, that make a positive impact in one or more of the focus areas listed below. For a route map click here.
Enhancing our stations to be a welcoming environment
Regenerating redundant station spaces for community hubs, providing space for activities that enrich the local community and bring station estate back into use. Creating a welcoming ambiance to our stations enhancing our customers’ experience.
Positive Mental Health
Mental health activities that encourage working with local partners to signpost people to support services or initiatives that have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. Connecting people together to take positive action to prevent suicide, an issue that has devastating and far reaching impact on our people, customers and communities.
Diversity and Inclusion
Supporting diverse and inclusive community projects, creating opportunities for learning and the social mobility of more marginalised groups. Our ambition is to create an inclusive culture where customers and colleagues feel able to be themselves and feel they belong to their local communities.
Employability and confidence building
Promoting employability and education amongst marginalised groups by investing in the skills development for now and the future, creating a talent pipeline to support the South East economy.
Environmental Sustainability
Supporting environmental projects and encouraging sustainable mobility shift to encourage customers to make greener choices to travel by rail and getting to our stations sustainably - by bike, bus, foot or electric car.
Funding will need to be spent in full, and projects completed within the financial year (April to March), in which the funding is gifted.For further information on what we are looking for in an application, and the criteria please see our application guide.
If you have any questions about a CCIF application, please contact community@gtrailway.com.
What does a good application look like?
- An application that clearly links in with one of the following areas - mental health, education and employability skills, confidence building, diversity and inclusion, environment and sustainability
- Details on who the primary beneficiaries are and numbers of beneficiaries
- What benefits will be delivered initially and a mechanism for measuring the benefits and impact
- An accurate and succinct project scope outlining why financial support is needed
- Budget breakdown of funding request, overall project budget and key project milestones
How to apply
Applications are now closed
Timelines for your application
- Applications open: 28 June 2022
- Applications close: 30 July 2022
- Review: July – September 2022
- Submitted to DfT: December 2022
- Notification: Q1 2023
- Funding received: April 2023
- Funding spent and fully committed: 31 March 2024
Contact details
If you would like to contact us to discuss your scheme, or for support completing your application, please email us at community@gtrailway.com and one of the team will be happy to help.