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The Communitybuilders £70m investment fund will help build more cohesive, empowered and active communities.

19 August 2009 

The fund will provide a mix of loans, grants and mentoring support to a range of community anchor-type organisations across England. It is designed to help empower citizens and communities by strengthening the resilience of multi-purpose community-led organisations across England through a mixture of financial and advisory support.

The Communitybuilders Fund will be organised into three investment packages:

• A development package consisting of bespoke business support based on an initial needs assessment and leadership grants of £2,000 for staff development and training. Each investee will be assigned a Supporter who will lead them through an honest exploration of the health of the organisation; help develop foundations around governance, financial systems, and leadership as well as core functions.
• A feasibility package consisting of further business support of up to 5 days and grants of up to £20,000 to use towards project development of a growth plan. Grants of up to £75,000 and 30 days of support will be available for larger projects.
• Investment packages tailored for investees who are ready to develop, grow and expand their role within the community. Investment will consist primarily of loans between £50,000 and £2,000,000 offered at 5% for an initial three year period of a ten year loan term.

Organisations can find more information on the fund, including investment packages and full associated eligibility criteria, and register their interest at the website below or by calling 0191 261 5200.

• Communitybuilders fund website [external website]

For more information contact:

• Karen Keany (020 7842 7700, Karen.keany@futurebuilders-england.org.uk) or
• Shaheena Sachedina (020 7403 2230, shaheena@forster.co.uk)