Be part of this international event encouraging motorists to give up their cars for a day!
Our Car Free Day Micro-Grants are intended to support events hosted on (or near) the annual World Car Free Day, which this year takes place on September 22nd, 2021.
Car Free Day allows us to experience what our streets will look and feel like when they’re free of motor traffic. It’s a great chance to re-imagine what our streets could be like if they were planned around people, not cars.
The national lockdown during 2020 saw major decreases in traffic levels around Leeds, which drastically improved our city’s air quality and environment. As a result of social distancing, we saw projects to widen the footpaths for pedestrians and an increase in the number of cyclists on the roads.
As the transport sector accounts for a third of all carbon emissions in Leeds, we need to make sure that the positive changes we saw in 2020 are long-lasting, especially in order to meet the Leeds City Council ‘Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy’ goal of making Leeds a place where you can ‘leave your car at home’.
Micro-Grants to help host your event
Calling all community groups, schools, artists, climate activists, storytellers and event makers! Would you like to help make Car Free Day 2021 the most impactful yet?
Small grants of £50 to £250 are available from Leeds Civic Trust to help support your event to celebrate the ethos of Car Free Day.
What are we looking for?
We are not looking for slick or professional looking bids, but it needs to be clear how it benefits Leeds and Car Free Day. The panel are likely to have a great many funding applications to read, so they need to be able to understand your ideas quickly.
We are keen to fund a range of different events and projects and welcome applications from all communities of the city. The money could be spent on anything you’d like, from a small street party, a mural in your local community, creating a small parklet or an event to promote walking and cycling.
- Events must take place on or near World Car Free Day (22nd September 2021)
- Events must be open to all members of the public
- Individuals or groups are welcome to apply
- Suggestions for family friendly events are especially welcome
Applications
Successful applications will:
- Make it clear how your event reflects the ethos of Car Free Day
- Applicants must ensure their events is registered by no later than September 15th 2021
- Mention any kind of contribution that your event is receiving such as volunteer labour, administrative support, rent-free accommodation or donations/discounts of materials or equipment
- Successful applicants will be asked for their feedback in the form of video, photos, or short story, to show how the grant has benefited both the people and the environment of the area
- We request that when using social media @LeedsCivicTrust be included when promoting/publicising your event
- We request that you apply the Leeds Civic Trust logo to all marketing materials (these will be sent to the successful applicants)
We will not support:
- Activities that promote political or religious beliefs or are sponsorship/fundraising events (this does not exclude e.g. talks about specific religious/political subjects)
- We will not fund ‘for profit’ activities or ones which request/charge money from the public
- Room hire/fees for guest speakers
- Projects outside of Leeds – unless these have a direct impact on traffic in Leeds
Whilst we have a funding budget set aside, all applications (depending on their suitability and criteria) will be decided on a first come, first serve basis.
Unsure? Please contact us if you would like to discuss a project idea or if you’d like to find out more by emailing us at: office@leedscivictrust.org.uk
You can apply for a Micro-Grant using our online form
