Deadline: 19-Aug-22
The UK Government is pleased to announce Community Ownership Fund across the UK. It has been set up to help communities take ownership of assets at risk of closure. It will run for 4 years until 2024/25.
Objectives
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The Community Ownership Fund has four strategic objectives:
- to provide targeted investment for communities to save and sustain community assets that would otherwise be lost to community use
- to strengthen capacity and capability in communities, supporting them to shape their places and develop sustainable community businesses
- to empower communities in left behind places to level up
- to strengthen direct links between places across the UK and the UK government
Aims
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The Fund supports projects which fulfil one or a combination of the following aims:
- acquire a physical community asset at risk, such as land and buildings which deliver a benefit to local people
- renovate, repair or refurbish the asset, only where it is a community asset at risk of closure and where this is critical to saving the asset and making it sustainable for long-term community use
- set up a new community business or buy an existing business in order to save an asset of importance to the community
- the purchase of associated stock, collections or intellectual property, where it is associated with buying a physical asset or buying a business to save an asset
- move a community asset to a new, more appropriate location within the same community. This might be because a different location offers better value to continue the asset, or because the venue is in itself an asset of community value
Funding Information
- The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which are at risk of being lost to the community.
Outcomes
- For the purposes of this Fund, community ownership refers to the ownership and management of local community assets by a community organisation in order to deliver benefits for the community and place.
- Community ownership of assets can boost local connections, participation and pride of place, and bolster community resilience. By investing in the capacity of communities across the UK to take ownership of the places and spaces that matter to them, they will strengthen the social infrastructure that helps communities to thrive.
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Your applications should clearly demonstrate the project’s potential to deliver against all of the following outcomes:
- protect a community asset that is at risk and preserve its community value
- develop a sustainable operating model to secure the long-term future of the community asset in community ownership
- safeguard the use of community assets
Eligibility Criteria
- Anyone from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland can express an interest in applying. The process is the same in all areas.
- If you’re planning to apply jointly with another organisation, only one of the organisations can submit an expression of interest.
- You can plan to apply for more than one asset, but you must submit an expression of interest for each one.
For more information, visit Community Ownership Fund.
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/community-ownership-fund-round-2-how-to-express-your-interest-in-applying#ask-a-question-about-your-expression-of-interest
