Chance to learn about Crawley crowdfunding project

The event, hosted at Crawley College, will take place on Wednesday June 20.

You can expect to:

- Learn about the programme and how to get involved;

- Hear about the funding available to support your project;

- Get top tips for running a successful campaign.

Whether you’re a local business or simply want to make a difference in Crawley, starting at 5.30pm, you will have the opportunity to hear from successful campaigns, followed by a networking session from 6.40pm.

For those eager to get a start on their project, there will be one-to-one sessions available to discuss ideas in greater detail, however, spaces are extremely limited so booking is essential.

Crawley Borough Council has teamed up with Spacehive to create the platform for the Crowdfund Crawley movement, enabling residents of Crawley to raise awareness and support for their projects and giving them the opportunity to unlock grants and other funds.

Organisations such as the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and West Sussex County Council are also using the site to distribute their funding programmes. This means project organisers will be pointed in the direction of potential additional funding which could help boost their coffers.

The money is collected by Crawley Borough Council through charges against new development to create the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund.

Community organisations with crowdfund project ideas can access the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund and be considered for a pledge, provided their idea benefits the residents of Crawley by improving the local environment, community services or facilities which are sometimes affected by development. The council may pledge up to 50 per cent of the total project target, capped at £5,000.

Councillor Peter Smith, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development at Crawley Borough Council, said: “We’ve organised this event as a great opportunity for people to learn how they can use crowdfunding to positively make changes in their neighbourhood and Crawley.

“It’s fantastic to hear that even before the movement has officially launched, three projects have taken to Crowdfund Crawley to try and gain funding and support. There are exciting times ahead for Crawley!”

Are you are interested in attending Crowdfund Crawley’s launch event? If so, you can book your space at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducing-crowdfund-crawley-tickets-46075011600

If you have an idea for a project, that will benefit your community, then create a crowdfunding project page here: https://www.spacehive.com/movement/crawley and become part of Crowdfund Crawley.

There is a five per cent charge to all successful projects who have used the Spacehive site.

This is an administration cost which includes an external company, locality, to help check that projects have included the necessary information to give people the peace of mind when making a pledge. Organisers are reminded to raise extra to cover the charge. Projects which fail to reach their target will not be charged.

For more information and FAQs visit www.regeneratingcrawley.org.uk/content/crowdfund-crawley