Hartlepool opens £200,000 Pride in Place community fund

Hartlepool opens £200,000 fund for community places and spaces

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Community organisations can seek capital funding for parks, beaches, public spaces and local facilities before the 30 November deadline.

By The Tees Editorial Desk · 12 October 2026

Play equipment and a grassed recreation area in Ward Jackson Park, Hartlepool Image: Play area in Ward Jackson Park Hartlepool by peter robinsonImage source Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

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Hartlepool organisations can apply for a share of £200,000 to improve parks, beaches, public spaces and community facilities across the borough. The first open call from the town’s Pride in Place programme closes at 5pm on Monday 30 November 2026.

This is a capital fund, so proposals must create, improve or extend the life of a physical asset. The published guidance lists building refurbishment, accessibility work, fixed equipment, play and recreation facilities, outdoor , environmental improvements and work to historic buildings or public spaces among the examples.

Two priorities for the first round

Applications must fit one of two priorities. The first covers activating parks, public spaces and beaches, including projects that make outdoor places easier to use, more accessible or better suited to community activity. The second covers community assets and neighbourhood spaces, with an emphasis on buildings, local facilities and infrastructure that can increase participation.

The call is open across Hartlepool, but the Hartlepool Board says priority will go to proposals benefiting its Mission Critical Neighbourhoods and communities facing the greatest need. Projects elsewhere in the borough remain eligible if applicants can show a strong community case and clear local impact.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include voluntary and community organisations, registered charities, social enterprises, community groups, parish councils, educational institutions, public-sector organisations and partnerships. Individual residents without an organisation can use a separate community ideas route, but those suggestions will inform future work rather than being assessed in this funding round.

The guidance says there is “no minimum or maximum value” within the £200,000 pot. Applicants should ask for an amount proportionate to their project and show that the plan is realistic, deliverable and good value. Projects may be fully or partly funded, and the Board can approve an award subject to changes.

is encouraged rather than compulsory. Contributions can include volunteer time, sponsorship, charitable funding, donated materials, professional expertise and other in-kind support. staff costs, revenue activity, core running costs, debts, retrospective spending and projects outside Hartlepool are excluded.

Community backing will matter

Proposals will be tested for fit, community need, deliverability, value for money and local impact. Applicants are also expected to explain how residents, groups, businesses or other helped shape the idea and how people will stay involved. Where a project concerns land or a building the applicant does not own, of support or consent from the owner should accompany the application.

The first call is part of Hartlepool’s wider Pride in Place programme, which has secured up to £20 million between April 2026 and March 2036. The council says more than 1,400 residents contributed to the planning process in 2025, including over 900 face-to-face conversations across all 12 council wards.

How to prepare an application

The prospectus, application guidance, application form and a map of the priority neighbourhoods are available from Hartlepool Borough Council’s Pride in Place page. Hartlepool Opportunities can help groups develop ideas, budgets, partnerships and draft applications at myprideinplace@hopvcse.org.uk. Assessment and due diligence are scheduled for December, with community feedback and funding recommendations expected in early 2027.