Community Power: join our upcoming webinars
28 October 2026
Learn how the Community Power Fund will support organisations to build community power in their area. Join a webinar to find out more before applying.
Too often, communities are recipients of decisions made by others, rather than active participants in them.
We believe that when communities are given the time and trust to shape their future, they're healthier, happier and more resilient. That belief is at the heart of the Community Power Fund. It will offer flexible grants of between £500,000 and £2.5 million for up to 10 years. The funding will help organisations build community power in their area.
Ahead of our webinars, we explain how this funding will help communities and what organisations need to know before applying.
Influence over decisions
Right now, far too few people feel they have any real influence over the decisions that shape where they live. The UK Government's most recent Community and Engagement Survey found:
only 26% of respondents said they felt they could personally influence decisions affecting their local area
less than 1 in 10 people took part in any civic participation, consultation or activism in the past year
Local people should be able to shape the decisions and services that affect their lives. That might look like:
communities having a real say in how local services are designed and delivered
stronger community leadership
communities gaining more control over the buildings and spaces that matter to them
It starts with community
Our It starts with community strategy was shaped by 18,000 conversations across the UK. Those conversations led us to put community agency, power and control at the heart of our funding.
The Community Power Fund builds on this commitment and decades of learning from communities. It has a clear focus on the power, relationships, assets and influence communities need to shape their own future.
The bigger picture
The Community Power Fund is part of our wider work to support community-led change.
We're also introducing the Community Wealth Fund. This is a £175 million fund, jointly funded by the Government's Dormant Assets Scheme and The National Lottery Community Fund. Neighbourhoods will control how they spend the money to improve their area. We'll confirm the areas we'll fund through the Community Wealth Fund in November.
We'll also be building on our long-term investment in community leadership. We want people of all backgrounds to be at the heart of this change and have the support they need to make a difference.
The Community Power Fund complements this work. It'll help organisations to support community-led change locally and regionally.
Listening to communities
We've listened to communities to shape the Community Power Fund. Over the past 10 months, We've worked with 17 partner organisations during the Community Power development phase. This work has helped us understand:
what helps communities build power
what support organisations need
what learning organisations need in the long term
Partners include small community organisations as well as larger regional and national organisations.
Building Community Power
The Community Power Fund supports organisations to build the power, relationships, and assets communities need to influence the issues that affect their lives. For example:
shaping local services
developing community leadership
increasing community control over locally important buildings and spaces
We expect to fund between 12 and 16 organisations with flexible grants of between £500,000 and £2.5 million, for up to 10 years. We understand this work takes time.
Organisations will need to demonstrate a proven track record in building community power. Building power in communities means helping local people develop skills, confidence and resources to:
work together
influence decisions
challenge unfair systems
Join a webinar
Sign up to a:
If you cannot attend a webinar you can watch the recording on Community Power Fund after the event.