A428 Community Fund

About this fund

• The total value of the A428 Community Fund is £250,000.
• It will provide small-scale investments, up to £15,000, to support community initiatives.
• The fund will be administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and will award grants exclusively to local non-profit organisations across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire near the A428 scheme.
• The fund will be available to apply throughout construction, with 5 different submission rounds starting in November 2023.
• This fund is routinely oversubscribed, with over £300,000 worth of applications for approximately £50,000 worth of available funding each round.

Fund criteria

The A428 Community Fund seeks to support projects that align with its priority areas:

• Local economy, skills and employment – investing in opportunities to inspire future careers in STEM, National Highways and its supply chain. For example, projects which support people in gaining employment on the development.
• Supporting and connecting communities – supporting community safety and health and wellbeing issues. For example:
  • Projects to reduce vehicle use and promote cycling, walking and other non-motorised users.
  • Arts, culture and heritage projects that reflect changes to the landscape and/or communities brought about by the A428 project.
  • Community involvement projects that build relationships in communities because of the new links that the A428 allows.
• Enhancing the environment – supporting the community to improve and enhance the natural environment, particularly around the A428 scheme.

Applications must be for capital expenditure only. The funds cannot be used to fund revenue costs.

Priority will be given to projects that can demonstrate a lasting legacy i.e. beyond a short-lived, one-off event.

Examples of Funded Projects 

CHUMS Charity received £14,500 to provide therapeutic programs for 48 children and young people in Bedfordshire.

The Croydon Reading Room received £1,500 to install a hearing loop in Royston.

The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, and Northants received £10,770 to host hands-on nature conservation events for 400 participants.

Overloaded received £14,655 to develop new facilities at Overload Farm in Bedford for 60 young people with anxiety or school attendance issues.

About the funder

National Highways will be upgrading the route between the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire and Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire with a new 10-mile dual carriageway and a number of junction improvements. It will improve journeys between Milton Keynes, Bedford, St Neots and Cambridge, bringing communities together, supporting long-term growth in the region and stopping rat running in the villages.

One of the main objectives of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement scheme is to leave a positive legacy. They have teamed up with us to provide a community fund that adds value and supports local initiatives along the route in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.