Darwen Town Council Awards & Grants
The Council’s Awards & Grants scheme provides funding to community groups, sports clubs, charities and grassroots initiatives that benefit the people of Darwen.
Each year a portion of the precept is set aside to support local life — funding everything from sports equipment for children, to materials for community events, to running costs for established groups.
Quick facts
Open to: Darwen-based groups
Typical award: £100 – £2,000
Two schemes: General & Parks Committee
Decided by: Council vote
Decisions: At public meetings
What we fund
Past awards have supported a wide range of activities and equipment for groups across Darwen.
Equipment & supplies
Sports kit for junior teams, materials for craft groups, equipment for community kitchens, IT for older-people groups — practical things that make activities possible.
Events & activities
Costs of running community events, fitness or wellbeing classes, walking groups, history society talks, intergenerational projects — things that bring people together.
Park improvements
Through the Parks Committee scheme: benches, signage, planting, small-scale infrastructure improvements at Darwen’s parks and green spaces.
Who can apply
To be eligible for an award, your group should:
- Be based in, or directly serve, the Darwen area
- Be a constituted group, charity, club or community organisation (not for personal use or profit)
- Be able to show how the award will benefit Darwen residents
- Have a bank account in the name of the group
Both established groups and brand-new initiatives are welcome to apply. The Council’s main interest is in the impact your work has on the local community.
Important to know
- Read the Grant Information document before filling in the form
- Two separate forms — one for general awards, one for park-related awards
- Applications are decided at full Council meetings, so allow several weeks for a decision
- Successful applicants are asked to provide a short report on how the funding was spent
Guidelines are reviewed annually and may change.
How to apply
Read the guidance, download the right application form, complete it and return to the Clerk.
Read the guidance
Start with the Grant Information document — it explains what we fund, what we don’t, and what your application will need.
Download the form
Two forms to choose from — pick the one that matches your project. Both are PDF — print, complete, and sign.
Send it to the Clerk
Email or post your completed form to the Clerk. We’ll confirm receipt and let you know which Council meeting your application will be considered at.
Recent awards
A snapshot of groups recently funded by the Council. [The Council can update this list each year.]
| Group | For | Year |
|---|---|---|
| [Group name] | [What the funding was used for] | [Year] |
| [Group name] | [What the funding was used for] | [Year] |
| [Group name] | [What the funding was used for] | [Year] |
| Replace these placeholder rows with real awarded groups. | ||
Questions before applying?
If anything in the guidance isn’t clear, or you’d like to chat through whether your project would qualify, the Clerk is happy to help.