Where People Meet Grant Programme

Open Call for Expressions of Interest

Since May 2024 the Rayne Trust has worked to understand the issues and opportunities related to community centres, local leadership and regeneration. This has included commissioning research from New Local into the history, current state of and possible future for these spaces, creating external partnerships exploring these issues in more depth such as through RSA Spark, and discussing our plans with community and strategic sector leaders.

Community spaces are a source of local pride, enable social connection, support a thriving civil society, and contribute to a wide range of important, positive economic and environmental outcomes. We want to support spaces that enable people in their communities to lead connected, healthy lives. Our overall ambition is to influence and advocate for greater investment in community spaces for the long term. 

Here you can find application guidance for our open call for Expressions of Interest, covering:

• What we will fund
• Case Study
• What we won’t fund
• Ownership and legal requirements
• Learning and Capacity-Building Partners
• Funding relationship
• Application Timeline
• Information webinars
• How to submit an Expression of Interest
• FAQs

What we will fund

Where People Meet is an experimental pilot grants programme. Through the grants to community spaces across the UK, we aim to raise the profile of community-led regeneration and shine a light on new solutions to challenges faced in our communities. We are therefore looking to fund projects and initiatives which are out of the ordinary and challenge the status quo. 

A total of £2 million grant funding will be available through the programme. We know that we won’t be able to fund anything like the number of important community centre projects which need support, but our ambition through this fund is to bring greater support and investment to community spaces in the long term.  We are looking to make a range of grants, between £60,000 and £250,000, where the grant size takes into account the scale, feasibility and match-funding of the project, and the track record of the applicant organisation. We may make grants under £60,000 where projects or organisations are at a very early stage. 

Funding priorities

We are using what we have learned from our New Local research about the creation and development of community spaces that are most effective in supporting people to lead good, healthy lives. We are seeking to make grants to a diverse group of projects that will provide rich learning individually and collectively, and will support us to bring other funding and investment together to enable community spaces to thrive into the future. We will use the following priorities to assess applications and decide how to distribute the grants.  

In assessing the EOIs, priority will be given to: 

How local leadership is developed 

• Potential for wider application and influence – in all the work we fund, we look for organisations and projects that are doing things differently from which others can learn and that have lessons beyond the local. Those individuals and organisations leading the project will be engaged and influencing policy and commissioning to improve financial flows to community spaces, or have clear ambition to do so.
• Local leadership and accountability – the project is driven and led by local people and organisations at all stages and creates opportunities for a broader group of local people to influence and make decisions.
• Partnership – partnership working is embedded in the design and delivery of the project, and health, civil society, local businesses, statutory and other relevant partners are actively engaged in delivery where appropriate.

 How local people benefit 

• Inclusive – the primary purpose of the project is to create and/or enhance a multi-use physical community space to deliver positive benefits to the widest range of people in the community, including those that experience the most disadvantage and marginalisation. 
• Wellbeing – the wellbeing of local people is at the heart of the work and projects are preventative in a way that averts crises and gets to problems before they take over people’s lives.
• Quality – projects are working to create community spaces that are well-designed, accessible to all, welcoming and warm, and maximising the potential of inside and outside environments, creating with local people a place they feel they belong.   

 How projects are sustained 

• Deliverable – the project will have already developed a clear approach to planning, resource and delivery. Funding from the Trust will enhance and amplify existing work and the project will be delivered within an 18-24 month timeframe. 
• Sustainable – projects will demonstrate progress towards environmental sustainability and have secured or are able to lever additional funding to support and sustain activities. 

 We will also consider the following factors in our decision-making: 

• The potential for greatest positive impact based on the social and economic challenges of the local area, using data from Local Insight.  
• Achieving a mix of projects in terms of geography, urban and rural settings, and approaches to supporting health and wellbeing. 

Case Study

Earlier this year the Trust awarded a £250,000 pathfinder grant to Nudge Community Builders, based in Stonehouse, Plymouth. To read a case study of that programme, please click here. 

What we won’t fund

We know that vital support and services are provided through all types of community spaces. Unfortunately, this grants programme won’t be able to support them all. In keeping with our aims to support community-led organisations challenging the status quo, we will not be able to fund the following: 

• Business-as-usual revenue costs unless this enables the community space to develop a new way of working from which others in the sector can learn.
• Community spaces that are specialised for one particular group in the community (i.e. day centres for older people).
• Community spaces that are not using a physical building.
• Top-down approaches that don’t foster community power and leadership.
• Projects led by established bodies such as Local Authorities and Housing Associations.

Ownership and legal requirements

When funding community asset projects, it is important to include some safeguards to protect both the funder’s investment and the long-term interests of the local community. 

Ownership – We will expect the legal owner of the building to be clear, supported by relevant evidence, and for there to be a lease (if relevant) of at least 25 years in place.  

Protecting community assets – Where the project invests in the fabric of a building we will ask for information about how the asset will be protected for the community into the future, including whether an appropriate ‘asset lock’ is in place.

Learning and Capacity-Building Partners

We know how important capturing the impact of the funding will be to support future investment and so we are commissioning a learning partner to work with grant-funded organisations throughout the course of the grants programme.. The learning partner will work collaboratively with grant-funded organisations to utilise monitoring and evaluation already in place and reduce any additional administrative burden, providing appropriate tools to support organisations to understand – and report – the difference made.   

We will also commission a capacity-building partner to provide practical support to grant-funded organisations and facilitate a Community of Practice.  

The Trust will go out to tender to commission both partners by the end of 2025. Both of these partnerships will be in place for the duration of the grant-funded period. 

Funding Relationship

The funding relationship will be characterised by collaborative partnership and open communication.

What we will expect from partner organisations:

• To share strategic thinking, insights and learning with us throughout the course of the grant, as is possible and appropriate. 
• To work with the learning partner to capture progress and impact. 
• To work with the capacity-building partner and participate in a community of practice across the funded partner organisations.  
• To participate in networks and other opportunities to share learning and develop practice, including some events facilitated by the Trust. 

What partner organisations can expect from us: 

• A flexible and collaborative approach to grant-making and evaluation, in which we are open to challenge and change. 
• Creativity in where our funding can be directed to facilitate transformative change. 
• Commitment to building a shared understanding with funded partner organisations of what success looks like which is both aspirational and realistic. 
• Support via our learning partner to capture and evidence impact in a way that enables organisations to build a case for sustainable investment.  
• Support via our capacity-building partner to identify and develop skills, knowledge and networks. 
• Participation in networks and events organised by partner and other relevant organisations to share learning and develop best practice. 
• Using our networks and influence to support investment into community spaces. 
• Use of our meeting room facilities in central London. 

Application Timeline

The table below outlines our intended timelines – although these may vary according to your needs and our capacity.  

The timeline outlined above is indicative and should shortlisted organisations need longer to develop full applications, there is the option to bring applications to Board meetings later in 2026. Where the Board meeting dates impact on the potential success of a proposed project, alternative methods for receiving Trustee decision will be sought. 

How to submit an Expression of Interest

To submit an EOI, simply download the form here, complete it in Microsoft Word, and email it to the Where People Meet Programme at wpmprogramme@raynefoundation.org.uk    

In the accompanying email, please provide your availability for a 45-minute online meeting between Tuesday 21st October and Friday 31st October. 

If, for accessibility reasons, it is preferable to complete the Expression of Interest using a video or audio recording, please contact the team at the above email to discuss options. 

FAQ’s

To view answers to some of the frequently asked questions we receive in relation to the programme, please click here.