A crowdfunding campaign has seen 15 projects supported across the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.
In the first two years the 15 projects have received £149,887 across the partnership.
Utilising the Spacehive platform there has been an 88 per cent success rate in securing funding for projects.
Each of the three councils received around £11,000 as a result of the initiative.
“Although investing in local community projects is a discretionary activity, it underpins the partnership priorities in supporting our communities,” says a report due to go before cabinet members of South Holland District Council on Tuesday, September 16.
The partnership determined the eligibility criteria of projects from the voluntary and community sector.
“Each pledge is evaluated by the community leadership manager and then signed off by the relevant delegated officer and portfolio holder,” says the report.
During the two years that the crowd funding page has been active, it has seen more than 545 financial pledges for a total of 15 projects from February 2023 to July 2025.
“During this time there were three official funding windows for projects. Fifteen projects (88 per cent) have reached their target and have now finished raising funds,” cabinet members will be told.
Of the total £149,887 allocated to projects, £72,770 was raised through the crowd funding pledge scheme.
Among the success stories was the £9,846 raised by crowd funding towards the £12,846 for Spalding Gentlemen’s Society Museum.
A total of 60 backers helped the project to improve the museum building.
A total of 30 backers, including each of the three district councils, raised £11,882 in support of the Rock School Bus project.
In total five community buildings across the SECLP have been refurbished or improved.
New events were supported which did not exist prior to the crowdfunding while there has also been increased community engagement across both groups and locations.
“It should be noted that the South and East Lincolnshire Councils’ partnership commitment to the programme consists of both grant giving and the cost of the annual contract fees. The programme operates two rounds per annum, spring and autumn,” the report says.
When the scheme started, the target was to achieve a return of £3 for every £1 invested by the council.
South Holland ‘significantly exceeded’ that with a return of £4.60 for every pound invested.
