We are launching our third round of our ‘Your Station, Your Community’ Improvement Fund 2025/26 to support local groups, charities, our customers, and the communities on our line of route.
The fund will support causes that are of key importance to local communities on our network and to us. Building lasting social value; under the following key themes: mental health, education, and employability skills amongst marginalised groups, as well as diversity and inclusion, Rail 200 and environmental sustainability.
The grant fund offers accepts bids in the categories of:
- Bids up to £10,000 – open applications
- Bids of £10,000 - £50,000 – please contact us to discuss your proposal before applying
There are also two Station Partner Support Grants open for application
- Arts/Creative projects - £25,000
- Horticulture/Environment projects - £25,000
There is a separate application form and more detailed guidance for the Station Partner Support Grants scheme.
The Station Partner Support Grants will support Community Rail and Station Partners volunteering at stations on the GTR network and also develop at least three new projects in partnership with new groups or as an individual practitioner, with a focus on the additional activity during 2025 for Railway 200.
We welcome applications from registered charities, individuals (for the Station Partner Support Grants), , Community of Interest Companies (CICs), Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs); community groups and other not-for-profit organisations such as community rail partnerships, schools & colleges, Business improvement districts, town councils and parish councils.
All the grants are not an offer of employment or a payment for services, but are charitable grants and should be managed as such.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for applications for initiatives taking place in and around stations served by Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink on the GTR network, that make a positive impact in one or more of the focus areas listed below. See our route map. The communities supported by your project should be served by one of those stations.
We can, however, only accept bids for work on station property that are managed by Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink
Our Priority Subject Areas
The subject areas the fund supports, are those challenges and issues that are important to and impact our local communities and the railway. You should clearly demonstrate your engagement and impact in one primary area; you may also wish to indicate other areas where your project would have a secondary or complimentary impact.
The areas are:
Enhancing our stations to be a welcoming environment
The key themes in this area are:
- Regenerating redundant station spaces for community use; providing space for activities that enrich the local community and bring the station estate back into use.
- Creating a welcoming environment for our stations and enhancing our customers’ experience – engaging with hard to reach groups and/or addressing issues such as ASB; hate crime; violence and intimidation against women and girls and young peoples experience. We want to see projects that have wider social impact; creating activities, observances or other visual cues that let minority or underrepresented groups know that they are welcome and their particular needs/experiences have been considered.
Railway 200
In 2025, Railway 200 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. To support this cross-industry initiative, we are including a special category for projects that help us tell and inspire the rail’s remarkable past, its role today, and its importance to a sustainable future. To find out more information about this initiative, please visit Railway200 website.
Positive Mental Health
Mental health activities that encourage:
- Working with local partners to signpost and/or refer people to support services or initiatives that have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing.
- Connecting people together to take positive action to prevent suicide, an issue that has devastating and far reaching impact on people, customers and communities.
- Using the station space to communicate positive mental health messaging, to both customers and colleagues: that positive mental health is something we can all support and work towards, that ‘it’s okay not to be okay’, and that help is always available.
Diversity and Inclusion
Our ambition is to create an inclusive culture where customers and colleagues feel able to be themselves and feel they belong to, and can add value to, their local communities.
Support for community projects that:
- Create opportunities for groups that are often socially and/or economically excluded – in particular looking at digital exclusion and addressing ASB; hate crime and violence and intimidation against women and girls within those groups
- Build on the strengths and knowledge already existing in the communities we serve;
- Facilitate spaces or events where parts of communities that are often separated can come together, building relationships, and learn from/support each other for everyone’s benefit.
Employability and confidence building
Schemes that promote employability and education, in economically and/or socially excluded groups, by:
- Investing in skills development for now and the future
- Working with socially and economically excluded groups to develop social enterprise within those communities
- Working with young people to create positive opportunities and addressing such issues as Anti-Social Behaviour.
Environmental Sustainability
Supporting environmental projects that address the climate crisis through:
- Programmes that help in reducing emissions and/or increase recycling, helping us get us to a carbon-zero future
- Conserving and restoring natural spaces
- Encouraging sustainable mobility shift to encourage customers to make greener choices to travel by rail and getting to our stations sustainably - by bike, bus, foot or electric car.
Funding will need to be spent in full, and projects completed within the financial year (April 25 to March 26), in which the funding is gifted.
For further information on what we are looking for in an application, and the criteria please see our application guide.
If you have any questions about a CCIF application or would like to submit a bid for more than £10,000 then please contact rob.whitehead@gtrailway.com. Please note we will not accept bids over £10,000 that have not been discussed with the community team prior to submission.
What does a good application look like?
- An application that clearly links in with one of the following areas - mental health, education and employability skills, confidence building, diversity and inclusion, environment and sustainability
- Details on who the primary beneficiaries are and numbers of beneficiaries
- What benefits will be delivered initially and a mechanism for measuring the benefits and impact
- You must be able to demonstrate and evidence your engagement and/or consultation with your primary beneficiaries
- Ensure that you have addressed any statutory consents that you are aware of that will be needed. And how you will achieve them - especially if it is at a GTR station
- An accurate and succinct project scope outlining why financial support is needed
- Budget breakdown of funding request, overall project budget and key project milestones
How to apply
General Grant Scheme
- you can download an application form (Word) here
- the application guide is here
- and if you require a budget spreadsheet (Excel) here
Station Partner Support Grant Scheme
- you can download an application form (Word) here
- the application guide is here
- and if you require a budget spreadsheet (Excel) here
Timelines for your application
- Applications open: 1st November 2024
- Applications close: 18th December 2024
- Bids reviewed: January 2025
- Recommended schemes submitted to DfT for approval: Early February 2025
- Successful bids informed: Late March 2025
- Grant projects active – 1st April 2025
- Contracts and initial funding awarded: April - May 2025
- 6 monthly monitoring
- Projects completed: 31st March 2026
Contact details
If you would like to contact us to discuss your scheme, or for support completing your application, please email us at rob.whitehead@gtrailway.com and we will be happy to help.