29 April 2019
Ofcom’s Community Radio Fund
The Community Radio Fund will accept applications until 7 May from not-for-profit community radio stations in the UK that have a social purpose.
Managed by Ofcom with funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, this fund offers two funding rounds in 2019 to radio stations that are not-for-profit, run by local people for local people about local issues.
Each funding round has around £200,000 available for grants. There is no set level of funding. Grants can range from about £2,000 to around £19,000 with an average grant of about £14,000. Grants will be made as a single lump sum and are to cover a one-year period only.
The funding is intended for community radio licensees broadcasting under a community radio licence in the UK to cover costs including:
- Fundraising to support the station.
- Management
- Administration
- Financial management and reporting.
- Community outreach.
- Volunteer organisation and support.
Priority will be given to licensees that have not been awarded a grant in previous funding rounds and to newly-licensed stations.
The Awarding Panel considers promoting long-term sustainability a critical, core activity and thus priority will be given to applications that focus on posts that promote long-term financial security and may become self-sustaining.
This is a very competitive grants programme with many more requests for funding than can be awarded.
The deadline for Round 1 applications is 7 May 2019.