Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council invited local charities and community groups to apply for community grant funding to support projects across the Welwyn Hatfield borough — including Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and the surrounding villages. However, the application window for the 2026 Annual Community Grants has now closed; the One Welwyn Hatfield announcement stated applications would close on 11 January 2026, and the council’s Annual Community Grants page shows the application window is closed.
The council operates two main funding streams for non-profit organisations: Small Community Grants of up to £2,000 for one‑off costs or small projects, and Annual Community Grants of up to £15,000 for larger programmes. The Annual Community Grants on this round were for new community projects in 2026. Small Community Grants are a separate stream (often run on a rolling or quarterly basis); groups should check the council’s community grants pages for current windows and deadlines.
According to the council’s announcement on One Welwyn Hatfield, the funding is intended for projects that make a positive impact on the community and support borough residents — examples given include activities to reduce loneliness, youth programmes, and local environmental initiatives. Applications must set out how the project will benefit residents and align with one or more of the council’s priorities.
In previous rounds the council’s Grants Board (the committee responsible for allocating Annual Community Grants) has prioritised cost-of-living support and community resilience. Past funding rounds have supported food banks, warm hubs and specialist services such as the Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge & Support Services (which has received council funding in earlier rounds).
To apply (or to find out about future rounds) organisations should visit the council’s community grants webpages and complete the relevant online application. Applicants are normally asked to provide a project plan, a detailed budget and governing/constitutional documents. The Community Grants Team can provide application support via the contact details on the council website.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
