4 March 2020
Power to Change – Community Business Bright Ideas Fund
Between 2016 and 2018, the Bright Ideas programme was jointly funded by Power to Change and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is currently fully funded by Power to Change, the independent trust supporting community businesses in England, and delivered by Locality, the national network for community organisations, in partnership with Co-operatives UK, the Plunkett Foundation and Groundwork UK.
Power to Change has committed a further £3 million to support 150 community business ideas over the next three years (2019-2021)
A package of tailored support and grants will be available for community groups and organisations in England who need support and tools in order to start setting up their community business. It will also give them the early stage finance they need to carry out consultation with local people and feasibility studies to develop a community business idea the community wants and needs.
The Bright Ideas Fund is seeking strong applications from across England. However, there is particular interest in applications from Bradford, Grimsby, Hartlepool, Leicester, Luton, Plymouth, Wigan, Liverpool City Region, Suffolk and West of England Combined Authorities. This is not a requirement, and the aim is to fund projects from a range of different places and sectors.
The eligibility checker for Round 7 will be open from 26 February (10am) to 6 April 2020 (5pm). The deadline to submit an application is 7 April 2020 (midnight).