Community Asset Fund Applications Go Live
The £150m Community Ownership Fund helps communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure.
The Community Ownership Fund helps to ensure that important parts of the social fabric, such as pubs, sports clubs, theatres and post office buildings, can continue to play a central role in towns and villages across the UK.
This Fund forms part of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, helping support ambition and building opportunity, with support targeted towards places where community assets can make the most difference. The Community Ownership Fund helps to safeguard the small, but much-loved local assets on which we cannot put a price.
The Community Ownership Fund has awarded £49.3 million to 195 projects across the UK, with £35 million allocated to 131 projects across England, £6.2 million allocated to 28 projects in Scotland, £4 million to 18 projects in Wales and £4.1 million to 18 projects in Northern Ireland.
There is a long-term trend of communities losing assets that foster a sense of community pride and bring people together. This has a knock-on impact on people’s satisfaction with the place they live in, and the strength of local communities.
There is evidence that assets of this variety can be successfully and sustainably brought into community ownership. This both enables people to continue to benefit from the places that matter most to them and empowers communities to shape their local areas.
However, we recognise it can be hard for community groups to raise the initial funding required to buy the asset. The Community Ownership Fund will help enable community groups to overcome these barriers.
The Fund ensures that local people across the UK can support and continue benefiting from treasured local institutions whose future may be in doubt. We will invest in community ownership projects where these assets make the biggest difference to the local 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, the Fund will help to strengthen the social infrastructure that supports communities to thrive.
To find out about eligibility and how to apply, download this information.