New £11.5 million fund will help charities and councils support local communities.

• The £11.59 million package, invested over 3 years, will strengthen partnerships between local councils and civil society to support delivery of more joined-up preventative care and support across communities.
• Government launches competition to appoint civil society organisation to deliver the Local Covenant Partnerships Fund.

Local communities will benefit from a new £11.59 million government fund to help civil society organisations and local authorities work together to deliver support in areas including mental health, adult social care, women's refuges and child poverty. 

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has today launched a competition to appoint a grant recipient(s) to deliver the Local Covenant Partnerships (LCP) Fund. By investing in vital networks of local charities and community organisations, the fund will ensure more people can access services and support that will ease everyday pressures, close to home. It will be targeted at areas most affected by the cost of living, and will strengthen collaboration between organisations in the civil society sector and local authorities, resulting in more joined-up delivery of preventative and self-directed care to benefit communities and individuals.

The fund will drive the implementation of the government's Civil Society Covenant, a new principles-based arrangement for re-setting the relationship between UK Government and civil society, which was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2025. 

The fund will support 15 areas across England to implement new ‘local covenant partnership' agreements helping to build stronger relationships and drive better outcomes for local communities. It draws on established examples of collective partnership working that have already created lasting change for local communities, for example

• In Sheffield, the Synergy VCSE Alliance for Mental Health has established peer support workers in all 15 of Sheffield's primary care networks, with services designed directly by people with lived experience of mental health challenges, along with over 110 VCSE organisations.

• The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit, a partnership between government, police, health, education, youth justice services, local authorities and civil society, which has established a mentoring programme for 8-11 year olds to manage their transition to secondary school by building self esteem, building healthy relationships, managing difficult emotions, along with providing support to parents and carers.

Organisations from the civil society sector with experience in building relationships between multiple stakeholders at a local level and driving investment in the VCSE sector are invited to apply to deliver the fund.

Civil Society Minister Stephanie Peacock said:

This £11.59 million investment is about much more than funding, it is about ensuring that whether you are a survivor of domestic abuse, a young person struggling with mental health, or a family facing poverty, you have a support system that is seamless and compassionate. 

By bridging the gap between local councils and the dedicated civil society organisations on the ground, we are turning the principles of our Civil Society Covenant into a daily reality, delivering preventative care that doesn't just manage crises, but changes lives for the better.

ENDS

How to apply

The Local Covenant Partnerships fund will be hosted on the Find a Grant service. 

The deadline for applications is 23:59pm Monday 23rd February 2026. 

Please visit the gov.uk page to find further information, including the competition guidance. 

Notes to editors

1. The Government has sought expressions of interest for members of the new Civil Society Council, to meet quarterly in 10 Downing Street from early in the new year. Applications for this closed on 7th January 2026.

2. Today DCMS is seeking to select a grant recipient(s) (either a single organisation or as a joint application) who is able to deliver the objectives of the LCP fund across all 15 places. The total grant award is £11.59 million revenue (including admin fee) over 2026 - 2029. 

3. The competition to deliver the fund is open to civil society organisations with:

• Experience facilitating relationships between multiple stakeholders at a local level
• A track record of managing onward grants
• Experience fostering shared learning and peer support

1. Target areas will be identified later this year, selected in partnership with the successful applicant on the basis of ‘double disadvantage' (high deprivation and poor social capital), using a combination of metrics including the Community Needs Index (CNI), the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), and further evidence to help identify the places on the basis of their need for the programme.