Sizewell C
Community Fund
The Sizewell C Community Fund will provide up to £23m over the next decade for local charities, community groups and social enterprises who are delivering projects that benefit local communities in East Suffolk.
The focus of the fund is on reducing the impact of, or building on the opportunities created by, the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Priority will be given to communities located closest to the development sites, projects that are supported by the wider community, and those providing a positive and sustainable legacy. By addressing the economic, environmental, and social needs of local residents, the fund aims to enhance quality of life and wellbeing.
Available grant programmes
There are two different grant programmes that groups and organisations can apply to:
Small Grants
up to £10,000/yr
Grant size:
Up to £10,000 a year
(maximum £30,000 over 3 years)
Current round closes:
Sunday 19th January 2025 at 23:59
Next round opens immediately
Decisions for current round:
Early April 2025
Allow 10 weeks from round closure date for decisions
Next round closing date:
Sunday 20th April 2025 at 23:59
Next round opens immediately
Large Grants
over £10,000/yr
Grant size:
Over £10,000 a year, up to 3 years
(no maximum amount)
Current round closes:
Sunday 19th January 2025 at 23:59
Next round opens immediately
Decisions for current round:
Early April 2025
Allow 10 weeks from round closure date for decisions
Next round closing date:
Sunday 20th April 2025 at 23:59
Next round opens immediately
If you would like to apply for a large grant,
please contact us first to discuss your idea.
You can book a meeting with us directly or call us on 01473 602 602.
Applying to the Sizewell C Community Fund
Please read through the information provided on the Small and Large funds to help you decide which is most suitable to apply to for your project. When you are ready to apply you will click through to a short eligibility quiz to help you determine whether your organisation and project idea is eligible to apply to the Sizewell C Community Fund. If successful, you will be able to start your application. If unsuccessful, please contact our Grants Team who may be able to signpost you to alternative funds.
See our Small Grants flow diagram
See our Large Grants flow diagram
Before starting your application
The Sizewell C Community Fund is open all year, so you can apply whenever you like. We divide the year into ‘rounds’, each with a specific closing date, so please check when the current round closes to allow yourself enough time to complete your application. Don’t worry if you miss a closing date, you can work towards the next date instead.
Please also check when decisions will be made for that round to ensure it meets your timescale. We are unable to fast track applications or fund anything that is purchased or delivered before a grant is awarded.
We have provided the following documents to support you with your application which we recommend you read through before starting:
Guidance Notes
The guidance notes provide information on what we are looking for in your answer for each question. We have provided complete examples of 2 projects for each of the Small Grants and Large Grants programmes, so you can follow these all the way through to help you understand what to include in your answers.
You may find that you need to carry out some research before starting your application, to ensure you can evidence local support and/or need.
– Download our Guidance Document – Small Grants
– Download our Guidance Document – Large Grants
Documents
You will need to provide supporting documents when submitting your application. We carry out due diligence checks using these documents and we cannot assess your application without them. Missing or incomplete documents may delay a decision being made on your application until the next round. Before you start your application, please check whether you have these documents or that work is progressing on completing them.
– List of supporting documents
Assessment & Scoring
Once an application has passed due diligence checks, the application will be assessed and scored against priority criteria for the Sizewell C Community Fund. The more closely you meet these criteria, the more chance your application will have of being successful. Please read through our Scoring Matrix so you know what the priority criteria are understand how your application will be reviewed.
Completing your application
We recommend you complete your application on a laptop or PC, rather than a phone, for a better experience.
Please answer all questions clearly and concisely.
If you need assistance when completing your application, please read the information in the information boxes by hovering over the ‘ℹ️’ button where available. The relevant section of the guidance notes provides further information.
Project budget
For Small Grants, you’ll need to provide a breakdown of costs within your application.
For Large Grants, you’ll need to attach a full project budget to your application. Please use this budget template.
If you need further support with your application, you can book a meeting with us directly or call us on 01473 602 602.
What happens next?
See the Grant Process diagram
We aim to let you know the outcome of your application within 3 weeks of the Awards Panel’s decision.
Our Awards Panel
We have set up an Awards Panel to make decisions on applications. Members include independent representatives from the local community, Suffolk Community Foundation, local councils, and Sizewell C.
The Panel is chaired by Helen Taylor who is a trustee of Suffolk Community Foundation with extensive experience in the charity, community development, governance and health sectors.
Please visit this page for more details about the projects and organisations which have been awarded funding from the Sizewell C Community Fund so far.
Further information
- Full Sizewell C Community Fund criteria document.
- Terms and Conditions for the Sizewell C Community Fund
- Capital Assets Policy and Register for the Sizewell C Community Fund
- Monitoring & Evaluation Fact Sheet provides a glossary of terms and information about outcomes
- Hints & Tips for a successful application
Useful external resources
This first set of documents was produced by Sizewell C and submitted to support their application for development consent. They are lengthy, but you can keyword search by pressing Ctrl-F within the document:
- Sizewell C Community Impact Report is a great place to start, with assessments of the likely impacts (both beneficial and adverse) on communities, with separate sections for towns and wards near development sites
- Construction Traffic Management Plan sets out the planned transport routes for road vehicles – this contains details of the anticipated numbers of vehicle movements and maps of proposed routes and road improvement sites
- Rail – Noise and Vibration, as well as the Draft Rail Noise Mitigation Plan provides assessments of, and mitigations for, the disturbances along the East Suffolk line resulting from increased freight train movements
- Socio-Economics Chapter of Sizewell C’s environmental statement assesses the predicted impacts of the incoming workforce, the Appendices 9A to 9F set out predicted worker numbers, demographics and spatial distribution, and the accompanying Figures 9.1 to 9.7 provide maps and drawings of the assessed areas
- Accommodation Strategy and accompanying Figures 2.1 to 5.1 contains Sizewell C’s plans for workforce accommodation, including the accommodation campus, nearby caravan park, workers buying or renting local housing, and commuting from further afield. It also includes an assessment of the current housing stock and housing market in East Suffolk
The following websites and resources may also help your organisation prepare for and complete an application:
- Sizewell C Works Tracker can be used to check where construction is happening now, as well as in the future
- Sizewell C Public Information Portal on East Suffolk Council’s website links to pages containing a wealth of information, plans and reports on all stages of the project, and is where Sizewell C’s Workforce Reports (detailing where workers are living) will be published
- Minutes from meetings of the Governance Groups, which receive ongoing monitoring reports of the effects of the Sizewell C project and oversee the spending of the various mitigation funds, are available to read online
- Responses from East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council to EDFs development proposals and consultations, including their Joint Local Impact Report, detail concerns the councils had in relation to various proposed mitigations for specific impacts – although be mindful that some concerns may have been addressed in later iterations of Sizewell C’s development plans
- East Suffolk Profile Data Pack from East Suffolk Council provides a wide range of key statistics about the district, grouped into topics covering population demographics, deprivation, housing, health and social care, employment, and education
- Suffolk Observatory by SODA holds statistics for the whole of Suffolk, presented in handy dashboards that can be filtered by location, age and other profile themes
- Wellbeing Report for Aldeburgh, Leiston and Saxmundham produced by Suffolk Mind in March 2023. Although this shows existing need, you may find it useful when considering how existing needs could be exacerbated by Sizewell C construction impacts
- Organisation HealthCheck is a free tool from Community Action Suffolk and acts like an ‘MOT’ for the health and governance of your organisation, supporting you to understand your legal obligations when it comes to policies and procedures including safeuarding and EDI, giving you a clear framework to work to, and helping you prepare for growth.
Contact us
Email: For all enquiries, you can email us at [email protected]
Phone: If you’d prefer to call us, you can speak to Sarah Mortimer or James Brewer on 01473 602 602
Book in a call: You can book in a 30 minute call with us to chat over any questions or project ideas you have
Who can apply to the Sizewell C Community Fund?
We welcome applications from:
- voluntary and community organisations
- registered charities
- social enterprises, including community interest companies
- group of organisations led by a voluntary or community organisation, or a social enterprise
- town or parish councils
Is there anyone who is not eligible to apply?
We cannot accept applications from:
- individuals
- sole traders
- organisations based outside the UK
- anyone who is applying on behalf of another organisation
- organisations without at least three unconnected people on its board or committee
- organisations which are not inclusive. Projects and activities which target specific groups of people for good reason are eligible, however the organisation itself must be inclusive
- companies that are aimed at generating profits for private distribution
- grant-making organisations (who award grants to other organisations or individuals)
What sort of projects are likely to receive funding?
Priority will be given to applications for projects that:
- are in communities that have been significantly affected by the impacts of Sizewell C
- are supported by the wider community
- clearly address the impacts of Sizewell C, or make the most of the opportunities it creates
- are inclusive – to make sure everyone can benefit, although we appreciate some projects may need to target specific groups of people with good reason
- offer good value for money
- consider sustainability beyond the duration of the funding
What sort of items or resources can you fund?
We will fund both revenue costs, which are the day-to-day running costs of the project, and capital costs, which are one-off items which last for several years.
Revenue costs could include:
- staffing (such as recruitment costs, salaries, travel, training and DBS checks)
- volunteer expenses
- accommodation (such as rent, insurance and utilities)
- overheads or core costs (such as management or administration, up to 15% of award)
- meeting costs (such as room hire and refreshments)
- consumables (such as stationery, printing and postage)
- planning and legal fees
- development work which helps get the project up and running, such as research or consultation
- costs relating to achieving a formal governance structure
- feasibility studies
- evaluation costs
Capital costs could include:
- buildings and building improvements
- vehicles
- IT equipment and software
- office equipment and furniture
- other equipment (such as polytunnels, gazebos or tools)
How often can my group apply for funding?
Eligible organisations can hold one grant per project at a time. Groups are welcome to make further applications at any time for different projects.
Can I apply for all of my project’s costs?
Yes! You can apply to us for up to 100% of your project’s costs. If you are applying to the Large Grants programme then, depending on the amount you are asking for and the type of project you wish to deliver, we may encourage you to seek additional sources of funding to contribute towards the costs. These may include another grant, volunteer time and in-kind services e.g. grass cutting for a park project.
Is there any other funding available to support my project?
We may be able to signpost you to other funders who you could approach for additional funding for your project, including other grant programmes administered by Suffolk Community Foundation. Please contact us if you’d like more information about other potential funders.
Are there any projects which you cannot fund?
We will not fund:
- Projects and activities looking to address any existing needs in East Suffolk, except where these existing needs have been exacerbated by the impact of Sizewell C.
- Projects and activities looking to address new needs which are not as a result of Sizewell C
- Duplication of projects or activities already taking place.
- Non-charitable or unlawful projects.
- Corporate sponsorship.
- Projects and activities which promote or support religious or political causes.
- Projects that might reasonably be deemed offensive or have a disproportionately negative impact on the environment
- Animal welfare projects, except those which provide clear benefits to the wider community.
- Projects that have already taken place or will take place before any grant award has been confirmed
- Projects delivering services that are a statutory responsibility.
- Projects or groups that are directly opposed to Sizewell C’s interests.
- Projects which are inconsistent with local plans (such as those drawn up by town or parish councils, Suffolk County Council or East Suffolk Council)
- Grants to meet the personal needs of individuals or families.
- Groups with significant free or unrestricted financial reserves
- Contributions to endowment funds, payment of deficit funding or the repayment of loans.
- Overseas travel or expeditions.
- Sponsored or fundraising events or groups raising funds to redistribute to other causes, including those that are grant makers.
- Medical research and equipment for statutory or private healthcare.
- Commercial ventures, unless the group is a registered as a not-for-profit organisation.
Please note this is not an exhaustive list and may be subject to change.
We will not pay VAT if your organisation is able to claim this cost back from HMRC.
Will our group need to do anything further after we have received the grant?
We will ask successful applicants to contribute to a monitoring report so that we can show local people, as well as other organisations who are considering bidding for funds, the impact the money is having. This might be during as well as at the end of the grant period.
To help us do this, you will need to carry out benchmarking at the start be able to provide relevant information or data during your project to clearly show on the difference your project has made in relation to the outcomes you tell us about in your application. This could include information about the number of people accessing a service, for example, or changes which have taken place as a result of the funding.
We will also ask you to send us anonymised case studies to demonstrate the impact of your work and help inspire others who may be considering applying for money.
In addition, we will arrange visits during or after the funding period to discuss your project with you and those who are benefitting from it, and to see the difference it is making.
We will regularly send out press releases and include stories about successful projects in newsletters, reports and other publicity materials, such as social media posts. This shows the people who support us the difference their generosity is making while also helping to publicise your work more widely.
Please speak to us if you have any concerns about including your group in our publicity.
Does our group need to acknowledge Suffolk Community Foundation and Sizewell C if we receive a grant?
Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge Sizewell C Community Fund, Sizewell C and Suffolk Community Foundation when promoting or reporting on their project. Clear branding guidelines with logos will be provided and recipients will be asked to share examples of promotion where appropriate.
Projects receiving large grants for capital items such as buildings may also need to display a permanent funder logo in the form of a plaque or similar.
Where can I find a list of which organisations have received grants?
Please visit this page for details of each successful grant awarded.
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