Liverpool Bay CCS Limited Community Benefit Fund

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The Community Benefit Fund has been established by Liverpool Bay CCS Limited (LBCCS) to provide long-term investment in communities that host the Liverpool Bay Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure. Delivered in partnership with Cheshire Community Foundation and Community Foundation Wales, the Fund recognises the important role that local communities play in supporting nationally significant infrastructure and seeks to ensure that they benefit from meaningful and lasting investment.

The Community Benefit Fund has initially been established as a four-year programme (2026–2029), with this guidance relating to Year One of the programme.

The programme will support charitable and not-for-profit organisations delivering projects that create lasting benefits for local people and places through education, environmental enhancement and the celebration of local heritage.

Liverpool Bay CCS Limited (LBCCS) is developing the Liverpool Bay Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Infrastructure as part of the HyNet North West Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster. The project will play an important role in supporting the UK’s transition to net zero by enabling carbon dioxide emissions from industry to be safely transported and permanently stored beneath Liverpool Bay.

Alongside its environmental benefits, the project represents a significant long-term investment in the region. During public consultation, there was strong support for establishing a Community Benefit Fund to ensure that host communities experience lasting benefits from this nationally significant infrastructure.

The Liverpool Bay CCS Limited Community Benefit Fund has therefore been established as a four-year programme (2026–2029) to support projects that strengthen communities, enhance the local environment, and celebrate local heritage.

Over the lifetime of the programme, the Fund aims to:

• strengthen community resilience through locally-led initiatives;
• promote environmental stewardship and improvements to local natural spaces;
• increase opportunities for education, skills development and learning;
• celebrate, protect and enhance local culture and heritage; and
• encourage community participation while creating a lasting legacy for communities hosting the Liverpool Bay CCS infrastructure.

The Liverpool Bay CCS Limited Community Benefit Fund will invest in projects that deliver tangible benefits for communities across Cheshire and Flintshire, whilst helping to create a foundation for longer-term positive change. Projects should clearly demonstrate how they respond to an identified local need whilst contributing to one or more of the programme’s three priority themes.

This programme will award funding in Flintshire via Community Foundation Wales and Cheshire Community Foundation. If you’re based in Cheshire, please click on the link Cheshire Community Foundation.

Education projects

We welcome projects that improve educational opportunities, increase knowledge and skills, inspire future generations or support lifelong learning within local communities. Projects may include, for example:

• After-school learning and homework clubs.
• Adult learning, digital inclusion or basic skills programmes.
• STEM, arts, music or creative education activities.
• Careers education, mentoring or employability workshops for young people.
• Community libraries, reading programmes or literacy projects.
• Financial literacy, wellbeing or life skills education.
• Intergenerational learning projects that bring different age groups together.

Successful applications will demonstrate how the project will create meaningful educational outcomes and provide lasting benefits for participants and the wider community.

Looking after the local environment

We are seeking projects that protect, enhance or celebrate the natural environment and improve the quality of local green spaces for communities. Projects may include, for example:

• Creation or improvement of community gardens, orchards or allotments.
• Wildlife conservation, biodiversity enhancement or pollinator initiatives.
• River, canal, woodland or park conservation and clean-up activities.
• Projects that improve public access to green spaces, footpaths or nature trails.
• Community recycling, waste reduction or environmental awareness campaigns.
• Citizen science projects that encourage local people to monitor and protect wildlife.
• Outdoor volunteering programmes that improve local natural spaces.

Applicants should explain how their project will contribute towards environmental enhancement, biodiversity, community engagement with nature or improved access to natural spaces.

Celebrating local heritage and culture

We wish to support projects that celebrate, conserve or promote the unique heritage, culture and identity of local communities. Projects may include, for example:

• Community heritage exhibitions, festivals or cultural events.
• Projects that record and preserve local history through oral histories, archives or digital collections.
• Traditional arts, crafts, music or performance projects.
• Activities celebrating the diverse cultures and identities within the local community.
• Heritage education projects for schools and community groups.
• Community museums or local history society initiatives.
• Projects that improve access to local heritage through trails, interpretation boards or digital resources.

Applications should demonstrate how the project will strengthen community identity, increase participation in cultural activities or safeguard local heritage for future generations.

Projects do not need to fit exclusively within a single theme and may demonstrate benefits across more than one priority area.

Applicants should clearly explain:

• the need their project will address;
• who will benefit;
• the activities that will be delivered;
• the difference the project will make to the local community;
• how the benefits of the project will continue beyond the lifetime of the grant where appropriate.

The Community Benefit Fund will support projects lasting up to 12 months that provide clear and measurable benefits to local communities.  Successful projects will:

• deliver activities that create a positive and lasting benefit for local communities;
• demonstrate strong community involvement in the design and delivery of the project;
• provide value for money and a realistic, achievable delivery plan;
• contribute towards stronger, healthier and more resilient communities;
• demonstrate how the project aligns with one or more of the programme’s priority themes;
• have clear arrangements for managing the project and achieving the intended outcomes;
• demonstrate how grant funding will make a meaningful difference to the organisation and the communities it serves.

How will the programme achieve this?

We particularly welcome applications that:

• encourage partnership working;
• engage volunteers and local residents;
• improve access to opportunities for underrepresented communities;
• create sustainable environmental or community assets;
• leave a positive legacy that extends beyond the funding period.

Projects should commence on receipt of the grant funding and be completed within twelve months. Applicants should ensure that they:

• carefully read this Funding Criteria and minimum standards before applying;
• demonstrate how their project meets the programme priorities;
• provide a realistic project budget;
• include any supporting information where appropriate before the application deadline.

Grants of up to £20,000 are available for projects that deliver clear community benefit within Cheshire or Flintshire.

Projects must:

• Deliver outcomes in at least one of the three main themes:
  • Education Projects
  • Looking after the environment
  • Celebrating Local Heritage and Culture

• be completed within 12 months of receiving the grant;
• have a clear delivery timetable;
• include a realistic and proportionate budget;
• demonstrate how funding will be spent during the project period.

• be for the benefit of people living in one of the geographic areas listed above

Approximately six to seven grants are expected to be awarded each year within Cheshire and six to seven within Flintshire, although the final number of awards will depend upon the size and quality of applications received.

Funding can contribute towards the direct costs of delivering eligible projects.

The programme will not support:

• projects promoting political or religious beliefs;
• applications made on behalf of individuals;
• activities intended to build organisational reserves or surpluses;
• ongoing staffing costs where no sustainable future funding is identified;
• vehicles, electrical items or other ongoing operational costs without evidence that they will be self-sustaining following the grant period.
• work that has already taken place, or will have taken place by the time your grant is awarded.

Applications are welcomed from charitable and not-for-profit organisations that meet the standard eligibility requirements of Cheshire Community Foundation or Community Foundation Wales, depending on the area in which the project will be delivered.

Applicants must:

• be a registered charity or recognised not-for-profit organisation with an appropriate governing document;
• be delivering projects that benefit communities within Flintshire;
• demonstrate the capacity and experience to successfully deliver the proposed project;
• provide a clear project plan and realistic budget;
• comply with the minimum expected standards.

Projects must deliver a clear public benefit and align with one or more of the programme priorities. Organisations that receive funding through this programme will not normally be eligible to submit another application within 12 months of their grant’s conclusion.

Assessment criteria

All eligible applications will be assessed by the relevant Community Foundation against how well they meet the aims and priorities of the Liverpool Bay CCS Limited Community Benefit Fund.

Applications will be considered against the following criteria:

• The extent to which the project aligns with one or more of the programme’s three priority themes.
• The identified need for the project within the local community.
• The anticipated benefits and lasting impact of the proposed activities.
• The organisation’s ability and capacity to successfully deliver the project.
• The quality of the proposed delivery plan and project budget.
• Value for money and the efficient use of grant funding.
• The sustainability of the project and any lasting legacy beyond the funding period, where appropriate.

Community Foundation Wales may seek further clarification from applicants during the assessment process where necessary. Eligible applications will be assessed against the published funding criteria. Funding decisions will be communicated by the end of February 2027. Depending on demand, we may choose not to take every application through a full assessment. This decision will be made on how closely your application fits the programme criteria listed above. If we decide not to take your application through the full process, you may hear back from us sooner than the above date. As with all grant programmes, submitting an application does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.

Monitoring and evaluation

Organisations receiving funding through the Liverpool Bay CCS Limited Community Benefit Fund will be expected to demonstrate how the grant has been used and the difference it has made to their community.

Successful applicants will be required to submit an end-of-grant report upon completion of their project. This will include:

• a summary of the activities delivered;
• the outcomes achieved and the difference made to beneficiaries;
• case studies, photographs or other examples demonstrating the project’s impact (where appropriate and with the necessary permissions);
• a breakdown of actual expenditure against the approved project budget.

The Community Foundations may also arrange visits to funded projects during the grant period to understand how projects are progressing and to celebrate the achievements of funded organisations. Monitoring and evaluation information will help Liverpool Bay CCS Limited and the Community Foundations understand the collective impact of the programme, share learning and demonstrate the value of investing in local communities.