Nationwide Building Society: Community Grants

Overview

In 2023 they awarded more than £4m to housing projects across the UK helping charities to build society, nationwide.

Over the last five years, they’ve awarded over £22 million to housing related charities and projects across their 11 Community Board areas. Their Community Grants Programme directs their members’ money back into their own communities. They’re unique in that they operate Community Boards which are made up of Nationwide members and colleagues who come together once a year to review and decide on which projects receive a Nationwide Community Grant.

Overview

If you’re a local organisation with a great housing solution, you can apply for a Community Grant of up to £60,000. Your project will need to support one of their three aims:

• helping people into a home,
• preventing them from losing their home or
• supporting them to thrive within the home environment

How the funding works

Charities, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives who are making positive changes in their local areas can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £60,000.

Each application is reviewed, discussed, and voted on by a regional Community Board, made up of Nationwide members and colleagues; who live and work in those communities.

But it’s more than just money that’s awarded, the funded projects could get localised support from Nationwide colleagues, such as volunteering.

They cap the amount of Community Grant applications they accept. As a responsible funder, they think it’s important to be able to let applicants know what chance they have of being successful and not to waste vital charity resource. This year their regional caps will enable approximately one in five applicants to be successful

• The Community Boards award grants of between £10,000 and £60,000 and the funding period is either one or two years.
• They’ll fund between 50% to 100% of the total cost of the project. For example, if your organisation is seeking funding for a £50,000 project, you should apply for a minimum of £25,000. Successful organisations will need to raise any remaining project costs within two months of the award.
• They’re encouraging organisations with an average annual income of at least £25,000 (measured across three years) to apply. They want to offer a helping hand to smaller charities making a big impact in the communities they serve.

Priorities

The Community Boards will favour projects that:

• illustrate a clear link to Nationwide’s ambition for everyone to have a place fit to call home and can demonstrate the impact their project will have on the local community
• are supporting people in housing need, in original or creative ways. This includes both projects already delivering local impact and those carrying out research to find new ways to challenge the housing crisis
• have the potential to inspire and be used by others across the country
• have robust plans to measure and report on the difference the grant will make
• can demonstrate sustainability beyond the life of the grant, by building the skills of staff and volunteers, diversifying funding streams and providing long-term solutions for the people they are helping
• can evidence knowledge of local issues and have a network of local connections.

Who can apply for a grant?

The Community Grant fund is open to registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives.

Co-operatives and community benefit societies registered with the Financial Conduct Authority are also eligible, so long as their associated activities target housing and/or homelessness.

Partnership and consortia are also encouraged to apply. However, the lead partner must be eligible to apply and will be responsible for managing the grant money, if successful2 . All eligible organisations need to have a minimum of three unrelated trustees and two unrelated bank signatories.

What they’ll fund

• Core costs – up to 20% of the grant amount requested, including running and facility costs, office equipment, supplies, printing, travel and accommodation
• Staff and volunteer costs for the project lead partner – including full-time staff, part-time staff, project delivery staff costs and other related expenses. All staff must be paid at least the Real Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation
• Small-scale capital costs – including one-off expenses for equipment, or fixed assets that may have use or benefit beyond the life of the grant (one financial year), such as computer hardware, or items required to deliver a project, such as paint, paintbrushes and gardening equipment
• Activity costs – such as catering or insurance, costs that help deliver projects or activities but fall outside of capital, staffing and volunteering costs
• Development and capacity building costs – that support organisational sustainability, such as training staff and volunteers, and external consultancy fees
• Building works and refurbishment costs – where they’re essential to the successful delivery of the project.