Millions invested to help people get active in their communities

People across England will find it easier to invest time, skills and money to make their local areas better places to live through a multi-million-pound programme, Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, announced yesterday.

Ten organisations will receive a share of £2.3 million - through the Place-Based Social Action programme funded jointly via the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and The National Lottery Community Fund - to devise programmes that enable people to take action on the issues they care about.

These projects include increasing jobs and training for young people in Somerset; improving green spaces alongside new housing developments in Bristol and building community cohesion in Lincoln led by Lincoln City FC.

A further £770,000 will be invested in six areas across England over the next two years. Barking and Dagenham, Bristol, East Manchester, Stanley in County Durham, Stoke and the Yorkshire Coast will use the funding from the Growing Place-based Giving Programme to establish giving schemes that make it easier for people and businesses to invest in their communities and address areas of local concern.

They will work with the Charities Aid Foundation to develop giving schemes that bring together residents, philanthropists, corporate donors, public sector organisations, and civil society organisations to raise money and address local priorities.

Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

We know that people want to give back to their communities and the issues they care about the most. This fund will stretch across the length and breadth of the country, helping even more people to take action - whether that be volunteering their time, skills and expertise, giving money to good causes, or through simple acts of neighbourly kindness.

We are committed to creating real change. I am looking forward to working alongside communities, organisations and local authorities to ensure we implement these plans and help people reach their full and true potential.

ENDS.

Place-Based Social Action Programme

Place-Based Social Action (PBSA) is a seven-year, £4.5million programme jointly funded by DCMS and The National Lottery Community Fund. It aims to create positive change in places through enabling citizens, civil society organisations, businesses, service providers and the local authority to work together to create a shared vision for the future of their place and address local priorities through collective community action.

The funding announced yesterday will provide up to £240,000 to each of 10 partnerships, who will be supported over the next three years to put into their community plans into action.

20 Partnerships were supported in Phase 1 to develop their community action plan. 10 Partnerships are being funded in Phase 2 (2019-21) to put their plans into action. Further funding of £1.25m is available in Phase 3 (2022-24) to scale and sustain their work.

Growing Place-based Giving