Grants of £300 to £2,500 for small local charities and grassroots groups working to tackle loneliness by helping people feel more connected within their communities.  

The Local Connections Fund is a new £4 million fund from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and The National Lottery Community Fund to fund hundreds of ‘microgrants’ between £300 and £2,500, so small, local organisations (with an annual income of £50,000 or less) can bring people and communities together.

Two rounds of funding
There will be 2 rounds, the DCMS will provide the first £2 million round of funding – which will be distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund.

This first round will be open for applications on 5 January 2021 and close on 26 January 2021.

Successful applicants for this round of funding must have spent the money and finished their project by 31 March 2021.

The second round of funding will be provided by The National Lottery Community Fund and will launch in the summer of 2021 (you can only receive one grant, but if unsuccessful in round 1 you can apply to round 2).

Grants from the first round of funding will strengthen and develop small and micro organisations that connect communities together and reduce loneliness.

What the funding’s for?

The funding is to:

• build relationships in and across communities to help reduce loneliness and build connections between people and communities
• bring together organisations who are working on social connections to celebrate their work, share learning and best practice, and form/bring together peer networks.

The funding will help to bring people together in safe and secure ways – including by covering the costs of technologies and equipment that will help people feel more connected within their communities.

Funding can also be used to help strengthen organisations and their services through, for example, training and development.

People understand what’s needed in their communities better than anyone. NLCF want to know that different groups within different communities have different needs and so will need different levels of support. NLCF want to hear directly from organisations as to who, in their community, needs additional assistance. This funding can be used to help you overcome these issues. We also encourage applications for work which strengthens eligible organisations such as:

• staff/volunteer training and development, including digital skills
• systems improvements, like communications, fundraising, leadership development
• networking
• sharing learning and best practice
• development of materials
• equipment
• small-scale venue improvements.

Who can apply?

A voluntary or community organisation,  registered charity, not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company, faith group (but we cannot fund religious activities) or constituted group or club can apply, including organisations that already have existing grants with The National Lottery Community Fund. But you cannot apply for costs which have been funded by other means, including Government or National Lottery funding.

Further details at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/local-connections-fund

Local Connections Fund