Grants of up to £1,500 from a £14,000 pot, for projects that get Chelmsford residents to appointments, work and food. Applications close at noon on 9 October.
Chelmsford City Council has opened a grant scheme for community groups that help people get to the places they need to reach. Applications close at 12pm on Friday 9 October.
The Transport Poverty Grant Scheme has a total pot of £14,000. Organisations can apply for up to £1,500 for a single project. At the maximum grant, the whole fund pays for nine projects.
It is a one-off pilot. The council’s own guidance says so in terms: there is one funding round, and no guarantee of anything after it (Chelmsford City Council).
What the money is for
The council defines transport poverty as the barriers people face “because transport is unavailable, unaffordable, unsuitable, or difficult to use”. The fund is for community-led projects that reduce those barriers and improve access to:
- healthcare
- employment
- education and training
- food support and provision
- wellbeing activities, including things that reduce isolation
The examples the guidance gives are small and practical: helping residents get to health appointments, reaching training or volunteering, short-term work that reduces isolation by getting people to community activities.
Councillor Natacha Dudley, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Transport is an important factor when thinking about health, wellbeing and inequalities, as seemingly small transport barriers can have significant impacts. A lack of suitable or reliable transport can lead to missed appointments, reduced employment opportunities, and difficulty accessing food support, as well as increased loneliness and isolation.”
The rule most applicants will trip over
The press release does not mention the exclusions. The guidance document does, and one of them rules out the first thing many groups would ask for.
The grant cannot fund capital expenditure, “including vehicles, buildings, or infrastructure”. If your plan is to buy or lease a minibus, this is not the fund for it.
The full list of what the grant cannot pay for:
- statutory transport provision, or anything fulfilling a statutory duty
- organisations already getting dedicated funding for transport barriers through existing commissioned arrangements
- large-scale or long-term service delivery that cannot continue after the funding ends
- capital spending, including vehicles, buildings or infrastructure
- retrospective costs, or activity that has already started
- contingency costs
- the cost of getting planning permission, licences or consents
- direct payments to individuals without organisational governance and oversight
- anything that duplicates existing commissioned transport provision
There is a further bar on who can apply. Organisations that already run established district-wide community transport funded or commissioned through other arrangements are not eligible. The council says the fund is meant for “complementary and additional transport solutions where unmet need and access barriers remain”.
One practical warning in the guidance is easy to miss: do not start your project before the funding is confirmed. Costs already incurred cannot be claimed.
Who can apply
- voluntary and community sector organisations
- registered charities
- not-for-profit organisations
- community interest companies and social enterprises
- health, care or wellbeing providers, where the activity is additional to statutory or commissioned provision
- public sector or statutory organisations, on the same additional-activity test
- partnerships, as long as an eligible organisation leads the application
Applicants have to show the project benefits people living in the Chelmsford City Council area, provide a breakdown of costs, hold the relevant licences, insurance and policies, and report back on activity, reach and outcomes. Chelmsford City Council’s public health practitioners assess the applications.
The council may also award less than you ask for, or fund only part of a proposal.
The dates
Applications opened on Tuesday 15 September and close at 12pm on Friday 9 October. Decisions go out by the end of October, by email. Successful applicants get an offer letter with terms and conditions attached.
Funded activity has to happen between 1 November 2026 and 31 October 2027. The council offers feedback to unsuccessful applicants on request, but says all decisions are final.
What it means for you
If you run a group in Chelmsford that already gets people to places, or could with a little money, this is a small fund with a short window and a specific shape. It suits running costs, volunteer expenses, fares, a pilot of a lift scheme or a booking service. It does not suit buying anything.
- Apply through chelmsford.gov.uk/transport-grant, where the full guidance sits alongside the form
- Read the guidance first. The exclusions above are all in it, and the council suggests contacting its Public Health team with queries before you submit
- Contact publichealth@chelmsford.gov.uk if you have difficulty with the online form or have communication needs
- Deadline: 12pm, Friday 9 October. There is no second round
The fund sits alongside the council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan and its Food Plan, and the guidance is explicit that one purpose is to “generate insight and learning to inform future commissioning and investment decisions”. In other words, what gets funded this year is meant to shape what gets paid for later.
More Chelmsford local information
- Chelmsford roadworks and travel: what is shut this week, and the park and ride fares.
- Chelmsford trains to London: times, fares and the last train home.
- Parking in Chelmsford: every car park, tariff and permit.
- Chelmsford council tax bands: what each band costs, by area.
Sources
- Chelmsford City Council: Chelmsford City Council launches new grant scheme to tackle transport poverty, 15 September 2026 for the announcement, the £14,000 pot, the £1,500 maximum, the eligible organisations and areas, and Councillor Natacha Dudley’s quote in full.
- Chelmsford City Council: Grant scheme for transport poverty, last updated 15 September 2026, for the pilot status, the partial-funding note, the November 2026 to October 2027 activity window and the 15 September to 9 October application window.
- Chelmsford Transport Poverty Grant Guidance, September 2026 (PDF) for the definition of transport poverty, the fund objectives, the single funding round, the full eligibility criteria, the exclusion list including capital expenditure and vehicles, the bar on organisations already running district-wide community transport, the assessment process, the feedback and finality of decisions, and the publichealth@chelmsford.gov.uk contact.
Have your say