Grants
Small Grants
The Parish Council awards small grants of between £50 and £500 to local voluntary groups and charities who need financial assistance. The total budget for Grant Aid in 2023/2024 is £4000. Priority is given in line with the Council’s Action Plan with a focus on groups who provide services which directly aim to improve the quality of life of residents in our villages.
In the year 2022/2023, grants were given to a range of organisations including Victim Support, Cycling Without Age Hurst & Hassocks, Hurst Rethink, 1st Hurstpierpoint Scout Group, Hope, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex, West Sussex Mediation Service and The Monday Group. We aim to support a range of residents from the elderly, to the young. It can be challenging awarding grants as with a relatively small amount of money we can’t help everybody. We have a focus on supporting groups who provide services aimed at the most vulnerable and those who are socially or economically disadvantaged.
Applications for grants are considered by the Community Engagement Committee at their quarterly meetings. We warmly invite those who have applied to attend the meeting to informally tell us about their organisation and their grant request.

Health and Wellbeing Grants
The Parish Council introduced a Health and Wellbeing budget for the Community Engagement Committee in the year 2020/21. The Community Engagement Committee in 2022/23 awarded grants of £500 towards Age UK social activties scheme, Befriended free thermal blanket project and Hurstpierpoint Gymnastic Club to support families who need financial help to attend the club.
How to apply for a Health and Wellbeing Grants
The budget for the Health and Wellbeing grants will be spent directly on projects to benefit our community and some will be awarded in grants.
As ever we very much welcome your ideas and suggestions with regards to grants – please do get in touch with us via the Parish Office.
Accompanying Information for Applicants for Grant Aid 2023/24
Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council aims to operate a grant aid system. Applications are considered by the Community Engagement Committee of the Council. The total budget for the Grant Aid Scheme 2023/24 is £4000; grants awarded to local groups will be in the range of £50 – £500.
N.B Applications for Grants relating to large capital projects will be considered separately under different terms and conditions from those for the smaller Community Grants discussed in this document.
The Community Engagement Committees diary 2023/24:
Date of Meeting | Deadline for Applications to be received |
---|---|
22nd June 2023 | 6th July 2023 |
24th August 2023 | 7th September 2023 |
26th October 2023 | 9th November 2023 |
25th January 2024 | 8th February 2024 |
All grant applications must be received two weeks before the Committee date. Any received after the cut-off date will be deferred to the next Community Engagement Meeting.
The system aims to:
- Help the Parish’s voluntary groups to improve their effectiveness.
- Help to ensure the provision of services needed by the Parish’s residents via the voluntary sector.
- Support organisations which meet the needs of people experiencing social and economic difficulties.
The Parish Council values the diversity and strengths of the local voluntary sector and acknowledges its independent role in the community as:
- A source of valuable services.
- A means of enabling people to work together.
- A channel for campaigning and advocacy.
- The Parish Council defines a voluntary group as a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation, set up and run by a voluntary, unpaid management committee.
This document gives the Parish Council’s general funding principles and details its expectations of all groups in receipt of grant aid:
- Groups applying for grant aid should note:
- Grants are made only to groups meeting the needs of the Parish’s residents.
- Grants are made to directly benefit people residing within the parish.
- Grants are made to meet deficits on future running costs, to encourage new groups or new projects, or to help with the costs of some one-off expenditure.
- Grants will only be made to groups which need financial help. Accumulated reserves will be considered when grant levels are decided. Grants are normally made for one year’s expenditure at a time and should be spent within the year for the purpose for which they were given. They should not be added, wholly or partly, to reserves unless part of a previously approved programme of funding for a particular project.
If a grant is to be considered as part of a larger expenditure/project, clear evidence of additional monies must be shown before any grant is released.
Grants will not be made to groups which operate for private gain or are connected with any political party; grants may be made to religious organisations for social or welfare purposes, but not to cover the costs of evangelising, worship or conversion.
Voluntary Groups grant-aided by the Parish Council are required to:
- Ensure efficient levels of administration, hold regular meetings, keep minutes and circulate information to group members.
- Keep proper accounts. Grants may only be made to groups which have submitted satisfactory accounts, unless the group is recently formed.
- Be open to eligible users, as defined by the group’s constitution.
- Be inclusive and promote equal opportunities for all members of our community.
- Recruit and support volunteers where appropriate.
- Acknowledge the Parish Council’s support in annual reports.
Supporting Documents:
All applications should be accompanied by a copy of the financial details of the requesting organisation.
Account details showing income, expenditure and the level of balances:
- Bank Statements.
- Quote(s) for any proposed work.
- Receipts for expenditure.
Please note if you are not a registered charity we will still request to see an income and expenditure statement or balance sheet. When your grant application is received, all supporting documentation will be checked. If any paperwork is missing the Parish Office will contact you. Any additional documents must be submitted a week before the date of the meeting otherwise it will be deferred to the next Community Engagement date.
Community Engagement Meeting:
A representative from the organisation is invited to attend the Community Engagement Meeting held at the Village Centre. The representative will be invited to speak about the grant and questions may be asked from the Councillors.
Outcomes:
The Community Engagement committee gift grants on the agreement of receiving the following information from the gifted organisation within a year of the grant being awarded:
- At least one photograph (where possible) which shows how the grant was spent.
- Written summary on what happened with the project, who was involved, who benefited?
All outcomes should be submitted to the Parish Office. Please note this information may be used in newsletters, Hurst Life articles or the Parish Council website.
NB. Anyone who attends the Community Engagement meeting must declare an interest in a grant before it is discussed.
Feedback: St Catherines Hospice
“We are grateful for the continued support that Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council give St Catherine’s Hospice.
As a local charity, we rely on support from people like you in our community to help us care for local people facing death and loss.
For us, hospice care is whatever our patients and those closest to them need it to be – It could be a bath, a favourite meal, or helping someone to manage their pain. It’s different for everyone, and we empower our patients to make their own decisions whenever they can.
Your recent grant helped us to provide expert care to patients within the comfort and familiar surroundings of their own homes, and to support their friends and family when they needed it most. Staying at home is really important to many people we care for – You’ve helped to make that happen. Thank you for helping us be there for local people when life comes full circle.”
– Jacquie St Catherines Hospice

Hurstpierpoint Players
We in Hurstpierpoint have been extremely lucky to have our own theatre. Sadly this had become rather tired and in need of renovation. For too long audiences have had to shiver through performances due to inadequate heating.
Now with the help of a grant from the Parish Council and other local organisations plus donations from the public, the Players Theatre has been rejuvenated. New seating, a complete re-decoration of the auditorium, plus the much-needed heating system means that patrons can now enjoy live entertainment in comfort. In fact, the upgrading of the theatre has encouraged the film club to upgrade their facilities. This means that Hurstpierpoint has some of the most comfortable performance areas in the district.
– Richard Coney
