A428 Community Fund

Grants of up to £15,000 are available for projects in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire that support local economy, skills and employment; support and connect communities and/ or enhance the environment.

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 and supporting long term growth in the region and stop 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 grant that adds value and supports local initiatives along the route in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.   

For more information on the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements please visit www.nationalhighways.co.uk/a428.

About

• The Community Fund total will have a total value of £250,000
• It will provide small-scale investment (up to £15k) for community initiatives
• The Community Fund will be administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and will award grants exclusively to local community groups and not-for-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

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 and National Highways and its supply chain for example:

• Training projects to enable people to gain employment on the development

Support and connect communities – supporting community safety health and well-being issues, for example:

• projects to reduce vehicle use/ promote cycling, walking and other non-motorised users
• Arts, culture and heritage projects that reflect changes ot the landscape and/or communities brought about by the A428 project
• Community involvement projects – projects that build relationships in communities becuase of the new links that the A428 allows

Enhancing the environment – supporting the community to improve and enhanvce the natural environment for example:

• environmental improvement projects that enhance the environment around the A428 scheme