Co-Op Local Community Fund

Open (with deadline for applications) Active citizenship Communities Community and neighbourhood development Community development Dependants and carers Family and parenting Health promotion Health, wellbeing and sport Healthcare services Human rights and equality People with disabilities Poverty and deprivation social enterprise Social inclusion Social welfare and poverty Voluntary and community infrastructure volunteering Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Micro (up to £1,000)

Track grant Notes

Overview

The Local Community Fund supports projects in Co-op members’ communities that help to create Sustainable Futures for People and our Planet.

Applications to their Local Community Fund will open in June and they'll be looking for new projects for their members to support.

In the next funding round, which starts in October 2025, they’ll be supporting communities across the UK with a total of £5 million. This means there’ll be £6,000 to share between three local causes in every community.

Funding Themes

This year they're looking to support projects that

enable people to access food,
create opportunities for young people,
improve people’s mental wellbeing,
promote community cohesion and
build sustainable futures.

Example ideas

Access to Food	Opportunities for Young People	Mental Wellbeing	Community Cohesion	Sustainable Futures
Food Hubs Community Fridges Food Pantries Food Banks Cooking classes Cooking on a budget	Youth Groups Skills development Social mobility Mentoring/peer support	Bereavement groups Warm spaces Coffee mornings Physical activity groups Sport teams	Cultural diversity projects Community cohesion projects Tackling anti-social behaviour Inter-generational activity	Tackling climate change Reducing waste and resource use Protecting nature

You can apply if you're a not-for-profit group that needs funding to deliver a specific project that benefits your local community. They will only accept one application per group.

If your funding application is successful, they'll work in partnership with you for 12 months.

Your project must also:

take place in the UK or Isle of Man
take place or still be running after November 2025

To apply, your group must:

be registered or based in the UK
have its own bank account
deliver activity in your local community
be not-for-profit

You must also provide a Co-op membership number for one of the people making this application (non-members can join online or via the Co-op App).

Groups that can apply include:

Churches or Chapels that are excepted charities (that means they do not need to register with the Charities Commission)
Co-operative Societies
Community Benefit Societies
Community Interest Companies
Credit Unions
Registered Charities in the UK or Isle of Man
Social Enterprises
Scout, Guide or Woodcraft Folk groups
Any other group that can prove that they are not-for-profit

How much funding is available in your community?

£6,000 is available in every community and the funding will be shared between three local causes. The amount your project receives will be based on the number of Co-op members that choose your cause.

Every cause will receive a minimum of £1,000.

What you need to apply

You'll need:

your group's charity number or registration details

your group's governing documents that show that you're not-for-profit. For example, your group's constitution or articles of association.

You'll also need:

your group's bank details- we cannot pay funding into an account that is not in the name of your group
a bank statement from the last 3 months for your group
a description of your group and project
basic information about what your group does and annual income
a good photo (landscape, not portrait) that will help promote your project to Co-op members
2 contacts including phone and email details
the Co-op membership number of one of these contacts. This is the 18-digit number on the back of your membership card or in your wallet on the App