Policy paperGuidance

Community Ownership Fund: prospectus

The Community Ownership Fund bidding prospectus provides detailed guidance on the purpose of the fund, eligibility criteria, funding and support assessment criteria and the decision-making process. Please see below for an update on Round 4.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
15 July 2021
Last updated
2315 MarchAugust 2024 — See all updates

Documents

Community Ownership Fund round 4: prospectus

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Community Ownership Fund round 3: prospectus (not in use)

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Community Ownership Fund round 2: prospectus (not in use)

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Community Ownership Fund round 1: prospectus (not in use)

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Details

RoundThis 4government iswas elected on a manifesto that stressed its commitment to the finalcommunities’ roundsector ofand community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the Communitymost Ownershipto Fund.them. There 

Communities will rightly be twoseeking biddingclarity windowson inprevious Roundfunding 4commitments. The Chancellor’s July ‘Public Spending: Inheritance’ speech set out the path to allocateconfirming remainingplans funding.for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on 30 October 2024. Future plans for the next Spending Review period will conclude in spring 2025.   

We understand that this may have caused uncertainty about Round 4 Windowof 1the isCommunity openOwnership fromFund. 25The Marchgovernment 2024recognises this is challenging and will seek to 10provide Aprilclarity 2024.wherever it can in due course. 

RoundDuring 4this Windowtime 2officials remain available for conversations and to discuss any issues impacting delivery that may arise. Officials will openkeep inprojects lateinformed May.on Specificany timingsprogramme forupdates.  

Support also remains available through the finalCommunity windowOwnership willFund’s bedevelopment publishedsupport inprovider duevia course.the My Community website.

The government is providing £150 million overCommunity 4Ownership yearsFund tosupports support community groups in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of being lost.

Voluntary and community groups can bid for funding to acquire important assets and run them for the benefit of the local community.

The Community Ownership Fund launched an updated prospectus for Round 4 on 11 March 2024.

The new Community Ownership Fund EOI is open for applications.

Development support is now available to applicants via the My Community website. They will also be providing informative webinars on the following topics which you can register for now:

Our development support provider offers initial support and advice to all interested applicants up to the EOI stage. After the EOI stage, certain applicants will be able to access in-depth support for the development of their application and business case, this may also include access to small revenue grants to secure specialist support.

Updates to this page

Published 15 July 2021
Last updated 2315 MarchAugust 2024 + show all updates

  1. Statement added on the status of Round 4 of the Fund.

  2. Updated to show the opening date of the Round 4 Window 1.

  3. Added new version of the prospectus for Round 4.

  4. Added Welsh translation of the round 3 Community Ownership Fund prospectus

  5. Updated to show the opening date of the next window.

  6. Prospectus updated to reflect extension of the maximum capital funding available to new applicants from Round 3 Window 2 onwards. Applicants are now able to apply for up to £2 million in capital funding.

  7. Update made to sections 7 and 11 to clarify assessment criteria for larger projects and the documents that applicants should upload.

  8. Added Community Ownership Fund prospectus, Round 3.

  9. Updated to reflect the opening of the third bidding window of Round 2.

  10. Change to eligible funding requirement.

  11. Added translation

  12. Added new version of prospectus covering changes to the eligibility requirements and application process.

  13. Details of new round 2 start date and reopening of round 1 added.

  14. Added Welsh translation

  15. First published.

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