Future Communities Fund
We believe co-operation is at the heart of strong communities and this makes us a different kind of funder.
Our £1.5m Future Communities Fund is the first strategic fund launched under our ‘Building communities of the future together’ strategy. We’re pioneering a distinctly co-operative way of funding, and that’s why this fund is:
- Participatory – grant-giving will be led by our Future Communities Collective. This is a group of diverse young people who advise on our funding and strategy.
- Unrestricted – we’re funding organisations, not projects.
- Long-term – we’re providing funding for up to five years.
- Trusting – we’ll work with our partners to understand how our funding can increase their impact.
- Accessible – we introduced a two-stage application process for this fund and pledged to be honest and open with applicants as we trial new ways of working. This aligns to our IVAR commitments.
- Supportive – we’re here to help community groups to be the best they can be in whatever way we can. That’s why we’re funding them flexibly and amplifying the amazing work that they do.
- Facilitating co-operating – we’ll help to facilitate connections between groups so our partners can achieve more, learn together and co-operate for a fairer world.
Our Future Communities Fund was launched in November 2022. It brought together two strategic priorities from our youth-designed Future Communities Vision – ‘youth activism and shared power’ and ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’.
Our working definition of ‘diverse’ is people who have experience of being marginalised in society due to their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status or any other attribute that impacts their inclusion.
We expect to award grants by early May 2023. Read more about who was eligible for funding.
Sign up to our blog to hear first about updates from the Future Communities Fund, including future rounds of grant-giving. If you’re a funder interested in learning about co-operative grantmaking, please contact Louise, our Head of Funding & Partnerships.
