Even more community projects will be able to apply for funding through the government’s expanded £150 million Community Ownership Fund.
More community projects are set to benefit from funding to rescue prized local assets, such as sports clubs, music venues and historic buildings, as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities launches the third round of its £150 million Community Ownership Fund.
Changes to the fund will make it easier than ever for community groups to seize back control of prized local assets that are at risk of being lost forever – helping to strengthen and level up communities and restore optimism, hope, and pride in the UK.
The amount of funding all projects can bid for will be increasing from £250,000 to £1 million, meaning that groups can bid for more funding to help save bigger projects such as Gigg Lane, home of Bury FC, from being lost which are at the heart of local communities.
The requirement for match-funding is also being reduced to as low as 10%, making it easier for communities to acquire assets without raising additional private funding. For the first time, parish councils will also be able to apply to the Fund, which has previously only been available to charities and community groups.
The Fund is already supporting almost 100 projects across the UK including the UK’s most remote pub in Scotland, a boxing and development centre in Oldham, and a sports centre in Ballymacash, Northern Ireland.
Minister for Levelling Up, Dehenna Davison MP said:
From far-flung pubs to prized community centres, the Community Ownership Fund is putting vital assets back into the hands of communities, to be enjoyed for generations to come.
We want even more communities to benefit from the fund and that’s why we are making these changes so community groups can apply for even more money to save much loved local assets.
We will continue to grow this fund to empower local people, restoring their pride in the places where they live and levelling up communities across the United Kingdom.
