Community Ownership Fund - Is there a community asset at risk in your community?
Is a building or land of value to your community at risk of being closed or lost?
The Community Ownership Fund exists to help communities across the UK take ownership of assets at risk of closure - from parks to pubs, lidos to libraries.
The fund is available until March 2025, and you can apply for up to £250,000 towards buying or leasing a local asset or helping to pay for renovation work on it.
Who is the funding for?
An incorporated voluntary and community organization or community or town council can apply. This may include charitable incorporated organisations, co-operatives including community benefit societies or not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee.
What is a community asset?
A community asset can be any building or land used for the welfare or social interest of the local community, including green spaces, libraries, cultural spaces, leisure facilities, community centres, pubs and more. The asset must be at risk of closure, being sold or in poor condition without community involvement, and must continue to be of community benefit in the future.
The funding available.
Up to £250,000 can be applied for to buy or lease an asset and pay for renovation costs. In exceptional cases, up to £2m is available from the Community Ownership Fund for all types of assets where the asset is at risk of being lost. An applicant must contribute 20% of 'matching' funding towards the total capital required - sources can include grants, loans and non-cash sources (in kind).
The Community Ownership Fund is offered by the Department of Community Prosperity, Housing and Communities and provided by 10 organisations in the UK, led in Wales by DTA Wales. To make enquiries, find out more or join an informational webinar, visit https://dtawales.org.uk/en/
Make your inquiries and your application via: Community Ownership Fund support and advice - MyCommunity
To register for the webinar in Welsh - on how to apply for the money - it's at 2pm on the 14th of September register here: https://mycommunity.org.uk/how-to-write-a-strong-community -ownership-fund-application-webinar
The webinar in English is on Monday 11th September between 12 -2. The link is below