The Place-Based Capital programme supports community groups to take forward projects that requires a capital investment that will make a positive difference to people living in the Falkirk Council area. It can be accessed for projects over £5,000.
During pilot Phase 1 and 2 of Community Choices, a total of 43 Place-Based Capital projects were successful in the public vote.
The type of community projects being carried out in our communities ranges from potentially life-saving defibrillator devices across Falkirk, to upgrading a local pit disaster memorial; from repairing the roof on a local community theatre, to installing specialist play equipment for children with additional support needs.
Successful project applications should have a clear vision and ambition for a positive future and should seek to result in communities which are fairer and healthier or more connected and inclusive.
What are Eligible Place-Based Capital Projects?
Eligibility for capital funds depends on two things:
- the nature of your organisation (i.e. how your organisation is structured)
- what your project proposal sets out to achieve.
For example, if your project seeks to secure funds to transfer an asset (e.g. a community centre) into community ownership, your proposal would need to demonstrate that you have plans in place to undertake an asset transfer.
Help and support will be available to take forward the more technical aspects of your project ideas.
Nature of your organisation
Your organisation should have:
- A group constitution
- A Group Bank Account and 3 months of bank statements
- A recent set of independently examined Annual Accounts or management accounts (if less than 1 year old)
What your project proposal sets out to achieve
The Place-Based Capital programme is different to the Small Grants programme as there are strict limits on the types of projects that are eligible. It can only be used for certain types of projects – these are capital projects. The rules about what can be used for capital spend and revenue spend are rigorous and we can work with you to ensure that any projects requesting capital funds meet the definitions for capital expenditure.
Capital expenditure vs Revenue expenditure
Capital expenditure
Money that is spent on things (assets) that are expected to last for a longer period of time – e.g. renovating a community centre, purchasing a minibus, etc.
Revenue expenditure
Money that is spent on day-to-day things which don't last a long time – e.g. transport costs, new printer, cost of community event
Examples of eligible projects
The Place-Based Capital programme can be used to invest in resources and facilities for the benefit of the community and must be able to continue to offer public benefit throughout their lifetime.
Projects are expected to create something new (an asset) or improve an existing asset such as a structural improvement to a building, for example.
There are three main types of capital expenditure:
- Building something new, such as a new sports pavilion
- Improving an asset which could be renovating an existing community hall
- Purchasing equipment like a minibus
What are not eligible?
Projects that are not capital projects are not eligible for capital funds. Examples include:
- Routine maintenance and repairs
- The purchase of small items of furniture or equipment, e.g. a shelving unit, a disabled toilet seat
- Repainting parts of a building
- Installing new electricity sockets
- Replacing taps
- General salaries and expenses
Some projects that are capital projects but are excluded in this round of Community Choices and are therefore not eligible for capital funds include:
- Public parks and installation of play equipment
- school-based projects
- CCTV
How does the programme work?
- Your group puts forward your project proposal idea.
- If eligible, your project proposal idea is put forward to the public vote.
- If successful in the public vote, your group takes responsibility for delivering your project.
How much is available?
Approximately £1.2 million will be split between Falkirk's nine electoral wards, based on roll-over from Phase 1 and Phase 2. Projects must require a minimum of £5,000 of capital funds to be eligible to proceed to the public vote. The wider community will decide on a ward basis which proposals will be successful. A Falkirk wide category is also available.
The table below contains the ward allocation for Place Based Capital funds for Phase 3 of Community Choices. The allocation for each ward equates to the remaining balance after deduction of Phase 1 and 2 awards.
| Ward |
Phase 3 Capital Balance |
| Ward 1 Bo'ness and Blackness |
£82,861 |
| Ward 2 Grangemouth |
£93,294 |
| Ward 3 Denny and Banknock |
£130,617 |
| Ward 4 Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst |
£256,087 |
| Ward 5 Larbert and Bonnybridge |
£169,271 |
| Ward 6 Falkirk North |
£244,448 |
| Ward 7 Falkirk South |
£39,320 |
| Ward 8 Lower Braes |
£14,551 |
| Ward 9 Upper Braes |
£42,798 |
| Falkirk-Wide |
£96,615 |
60% rule
To ensure that expensive single projects cannot use up all the funds available in their Ward, Place-Based Capital projects are limited to applying for 60% of a Ward's allocation.
Year to spend
Capital project should be completed within a year of being formally awarded.
Apply
Please submit your application form and accompanying documents before 5pm on Friday 02 December 2022 to:
- Downloads
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Capital Grant application form
DOCX file, 97.7 KB
Place Based Capital Grants Voting Results
In Phase 2 of Community Choices (the previous phase), the people of Falkirk voted for the following 19 Capital Projects and almost 16,000 votes were cast, securing a total of over £1.2M.
The following groups were successful:
Falkirk-Wide Projects
- Friends of Forth Valley First Responders
- Barony Players
Ward 1 Bo'ness and Blackness
- Bo’ness Children’s Fair
- Bo’ness United Community Football Club
Ward 2 Grangemouth
- Syngenta Juveniles FC
- Friends of Inchyra Park
Ward 3 Denny and Banknock
Ward 4 Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst
- Keep Larbert & Stenhousemuir Beautiful (KLSB)
Ward 5 Larbert and Bonnybridge
Ward 6 Falkirk North
- Bainsford Hall Community Group
- Falkirk Golf Club
Ward 7 Falkirk South
- Bantaskin Residents Association
- Tamfourhill Community Hub
- Ettrick Dochart Community Hall
Ward 8 Lower Braes
- Westquarter and Redding Community Project
- Sir Wm. Wallace Grand Lodge of Scotland Free Colliers
Ward 9 Upper Braes
- Shieldhill Welfare Club
- Maddiston Primary School Parents Assoc