Core application criteria

Organisations applying to Communitybuilders should fulfil the following criteria.

1. Aim to become more financially independent and less grant dependent through activities that have community relevance and social value

What do we mean by this?

  • You need to be seeking a robust income, generating sufficient surpluses to repay the loan element of any investment
  • You need to be seeking long term financial viability and sustainability and planning to generate unrestricted/earned income and move away from grant dependency. This can be through a combination of trading, enterprise activity, public service delivery, local fundraising, gift-aid or legacy income, in-kind contributions such as increased volunteer input or corporate support or any other appropriate activity leading to improved financial sustainability.
  • You would normally operate from a building in your neighbourhood that acts as a centre for community activities and the provision of services to the neighbourhood. (Most community anchors will be based in such a building and others already located in the neighbourhood may want to obtain a building or improve their base through Communitybuilders in order to improve their impact and effectiveness).
  • You would normally be able to demonstrate how surpluses generated by trading or other income generating activity have or will benefit your neighbourhood.

 

2. Be based and working in England

3.  Be operating for the benefit of a defined neighbourhood

What do we mean by this?

  • This is an organisation’s sense of place, locality and purpose (normally shown in the organisation’s governing documents)
  • You will be asked to define your neighbourhood. For example it might be a ward, a super-output area, a parish, an estate or simply a few streets as it is likely to mean different things to organisations based in urban areas to those based in rural areas. It will to some extent be defined by those that live there but there are likely to be multiple neighbourhoods within a local authority area.
  • There will be geographical limitations to the definition of a neighbourhood. An organisation with an area of benefit that is national, regional or across a county or local authority will generally not be eligible for Communitybuilders funding.
  • There may also be a distinction between the area of benefit of your organisation and the area in which you trade, which may also be wider. Where trading is taking place outside the neighbourhood any income generated by that trading must be invested in the neighbourhood you serve.

4. Be locally controlled with local people or representatives of local groups making the spending, staffing and other decisions around priorities

What do we mean by this?

  • Your organisation will need to be independent and community–led, and not controlled by the private or public sector.
  • It is important that organisations are independent and community-led but we will also expect them to be able to demonstrate good partnerships with other local bodies such as local authorities, where appropriate. 
  • You must have a clear majority of local people or representatives of local groups on your Board, or otherwise demonstrate control is exerted by local people and groups on the direction of the organisation in several of the following ways:
  • Some local people on the board
  • A membership drawn from the area of benefit
  • A number of local groups and/or local volunteers running services and activities
  • Accountability to the community through newsletters, public meetings, open days, etc
  • A well attended AGM at which local people and groups can steer the organisation
  • Examples of recent local consultation influencing the organisation's services or direction

5.    Be multi-purpose - providing or hosting a number of different activities and services

What do we mean by this?

  • social welfare
  • education
  • recreation (including culture and sport)
  • environmental activity
  • economic or vocational services
  • voice and advocacy services
  • trading for social purpose
  • A multi-purpose organisation should host or deliver services in at least 3 of the above categories. Examples might include managed workspace, childcare provision, a café for local people, sport or dance, elders’ groups, evening classes, training and conference facilities.
  • You should be able to demonstrate that you are multi-purpose (through published documents such as governing documents, business plan or strategy document) or that you are aiming to change these accordingly.
  • Organisations that are single purpose are not automatically excluded from applying for Communitybuilders funds but they will need to show that they have a genuine intention to develop into a multi-purpose organisation evidenced by a robust plan to do so; milestones would be set to show progress (for example, amendments on governing documents being approved and agreed by the Charity Commission if a charity). Plans would need to be delivered within a 2 year period from the point when an organisation makes an application to the programme.
  • Projects should, wherever possible, reinforce local and national priorities.

6.    Work inclusively within your community, including marginalised groups.

What do we mean by this?

  • You must have services and facilities that are open to everyone in your neighbourhood and you should demonstrate how you will be inclusive and engage with a wide section of the community. This should include current practice or plans to:
  • Work with and coordinate activity with other community organisations in their neighbourhood
  • Demonstrate an inclusive approach to individuals from diverse communities within their neighbourhood and work collaboratively with those groups seeking to meet the needs of these communities.
  • We recognise that services provided may include ones that are specific to particular sections of the community. In that case you will need to ensure you encourage different groups within the community to use the facilities as well as interact with the other groups – making the organisation truly inclusive and cohesive.

7.    Empower, or plan to empower, your community through multi-purpose community development and stimulating community led action.

What do we mean by this?

This could include some of the following:

  • proactive in engaging the community and stimulating local participation in activities or campaigns
  • led by local people in the development of any new activities and services
  • hosting and supporting the development of local groups and enterprises
  • responsive to local concern in voice and advocacy work, empowering the community to speak for itself, while adopting an approach promoting equality and social justice.
  • involvement in local forums or networks
  • championing local people, groups and community action
  • providing space, resources and support to communities to organise and to develop their messages and responses
  • mobilising collective action around a strategic community agenda
  • action planning / parish planning

8. Have a track record of delivering to the community you are based in

What do we mean by this?

 

  • In the majority of cases yourwill have been in existence for at least a year and have generated some income through activities.

 

9.    Be an organisation; individuals cannot apply; neither can companies constituted for private gain.

What do we mean by this?

  • Majority are likely to be companies limited by guarantee, with or without charitable status.
  • Unincorporated associations would need to be incorporated to be eligible for feasibility study and main investment.
  • Partnership / consortia models
  • Partnership dispersed or hub and spoke anchors are eligible provided that:
  • There is a community based, third sector lead partner to act as accountable body for the investment
  • The partners between them meet all the basic criteria
  • More than 50% of the local anchor services are provided by organisations that have been in existence for at least a year
  • A statutory body, such as a parish or town council may be one of the partners provided that they do not receive any of the funds or have a controlling vote
  • The focus for sustainability is on the anchor services to the community and not just one or more of the partners
  • Community control applies to the anchor services delivered

What Communitybuilders is not for

We expect the following to be ineligible for Communitybuilders funding and this will be made clear on the website and in publicity materials:

•    Rescuing failing organisations
•    Refurbishing local premises where there will be no change in ambition
•    Single purpose organisations unless they can demonstrate a clear intention and specific plans to develop into a multi- purpose organisation
•    Start-up organisations or those that have been in existence for less than a year.
•    Single issue groups