Customer and Community Improvement Fund: Applications for 2025/26 now open
We are pleased to announce we are accepting applications for the next round of our Customer and Community Improvement Fund from Monday 6 January 2025.
This fund is for rail related projects that will be delivered and completed between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, and you have until 23:59 on Friday 31 January 2025 to submit your bid.
This year we are focusing on projects that connect to the Railway 200 celebrations. In addition, we are specifically interested in rail schemes that show a tangible benefit to customers and the community with an emphasis on inclusion and diversity, youth engagement, careers in rail and increasing rail travel.
We want to encourage bids of all shapes and sizes. However, as the funding needs to cover the whole GWR network, we are particularly interested in small and medium projects. This could include phased projects, for instance a bid for a feasibility study or some research, to support a larger project. The maximum bid amount is £50,000, although most bids previously awarded have been under £25,000, and the average bid awarded for financial year 2024/25 was £12,500.
There must be a link to the railway in every project and all bids must address an area of social need.
Make your Customer and Community Improvement Fund application here:
Customer and Community Improvement Fund application
Please note you must submit your bid in one session – the application form will not save for you to return to later. We can supply a copy of the questions so you can prepare your answers in advance by contacting community.fund@gwr.com.
Please find our guidance booklet here:
Customer and Community Improvement Fund 2025/26 guidance booklet (PDF, 11 MB)
You can also see further case studies of projects that were awarded funding from our 2023/24 fund here:
- Gateway to Independent Travel (PDF, 115 KB)
- Surrey Hills Poster Project (PDF, 122 KB)
- Tackling Myths and Misconceptions on the Railway – A Film for Schools and Young People (PDF, 90 KB)
- Worcester Access Map (PDF, 2 MB)
For more information and to discuss any ideas you have please use our dedicated email address community.fund@gwr.com.