The Neighborhood Initiative
Bringing communities together
The Neighborhood Initiative supports local projects in neighborhoods around Sweden. Our goal within The Neighborhood Initiative is to create meetings and connections, thereby strengthening communities, bringing us together, and contributing to our overall health and wellbeing.
You can apply for support through the Neigborhood Initiative for projects in your neighborhood. You can submit your application at any time throughout the year. We generally respond within 2 to 6 weeks
The Neighborhood Initiative
For local projects that strengthen the community in a Swedish neighbourhood.
Who can apply?
You can apply as a Swedish non-profit organization or foundation with an established local connection. A requirement is that your organization has a formal year end financial statement and a Swedish organizational number that is at least one year old.
How much?
You can apply for between 20 000 and 60 000 SEK. Our funding should cover at least 50% of the project’s budget.
How long?
Project periods should be between1 and 9 months including time for planning and purchasing.
The target audience?
All activities must be open to the general public within one or several specific neighborhoods. Activities may target specific audiences such as children, young people, adults or the elderly.
What do we mean by “neighborhood”?
A neighborhood may be a village, rural area, small town, or specific area in a larger city.
Our Criteria
Here you can read about our criteria for projects within the Neighbourhood Initiative.
Within The Neighborhood Initiative projects must:
- Be carried out by a Swedish non-profit organization or foundation
- Act with a public interest
- Differ from the organization’s ordinary operations
- Be carried out within 1 to 9 months
- Be carried out in one or several specific neighborhoods within Sweden
- Reach a general audience in the neighborhood (such as children, adults, or the elderly)
- Funded completely or primarily with support from The Neighborhood Initiative
- Can be carried out even without the guarantee of outside funding sources
We do not fund:
- Ordinary operations
- Informal movements or initiatives
- Political party affiliated or religious initiatives or organizations
- Public sector activities
- Private individuals
- For-profit organizations (for example corporations, co-op organizations, or homeowner associations)
- For-profit projects
- Student exchanges, private travel, internships, or scholarships
- Projects that consist only of travel, building, or renovation expenses
- Members of The Swedish Postcode Association
- Additional projects from organizations that are currently receiving project support from us
- Organizations that have previously received support through The Neighborhood Initiative during the same calendar year
How we assess project applications
We assess project ideas within the Neighborhood Initiative based on the following criteria:
- The project’s potential to contribute to people meeting, feeling a strengthened sense of community, and experiencing increased well-being and health.
- The activity/activities should be accessible to the public and carried out in the target group’s neighborhood.
- The project should include new encounters, shared experiences, and strengthened community among people in the neighborhood.
- The project should contribute to at least one of the following:
- More people meet and share experiences with others in the neighborhood.
- More people feel included in communities within the neighborhood.
- More people have access to activities and places in the neighborhood.
- More people enjoy the neighborhood and take advantage of new opportunities for well-being and health.
Inspiration
The Neighborhood Initiative is relevant for a variety of non-profit organizations – we have supported work from historical societies to youth-driven organizations. For inspiration, check our website for other Neighborhood Initiatives that have received project support. There you’ll find community events, open sporting activities and events, local conservation efforts, open discussion forums, cultural activities, integration efforts, social gatherings, and much more!
“We are incredibly pleased with the day and extremely grateful for the support from the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation to be able to organize this. It has really engaged many people in the area and the response and praise for the implementation is fantastic. Our youngest participant was 1 year old and our oldest participant was 93 years old. It is absolutely a new tradition that you have helped us start and we hope and believe that this will grow and become popular.”
Ovanmons Samhällsförening
Are you ready to make a difference in your Swedish community?
Send in your application today.
At this time, this application form is only available in Swedish. However, you are welcome to respond to the questions and send an application using English.
On this web page