In this blog, Rachel Henry our Project Officer for ‘Where People Meet’, shares an overview of the grants programme and reflects on her experiences visiting the inspiring projects we’re supporting.
Where People Meet is a two-year grants programme supporting community spaces across the UK that demonstrate exceptional vision, strong local leadership, and the potential to have influence beyond their local area. Through this programme, we at the Rayne Trust aim to showcase the immense value of community centres and attract greater investment in community spaces nationwide.
In March 2026, we allocated the remainder of our £2 million designated grants pot to 18 organisations, including two pathfinder grants approved in 2025. The projects we are funding span community-led neighbourhood health approaches, community asset development, social action and community power, and capacity and network building to strengthen different types of social infrastructure. Collectively, they reflect the energy, creativity, and resilience of communities driving change across the country and offer rich learning from across the cohort. We will announce the full list of projects in early April.
The most rewarding part of the process for me was visiting the projects before taking them to the Trust’s board for approval. I travelled the length and breadth of the UK and met a wide range of inspiring, warm and generous people. What stayed with me was the deep sense of responsibility they feel for the legacy they leave in their communities, and their long-standing commitment to the places they call home.
The organisations we are supporting embody a “community instinct,” a term thoughtfully captured by Kinship Works in their evaluation of Big Local, Rewilding Civic Life. It describes the way communities respond to complex social challenges in ways that are holistic, relational, resourceful and preventative – qualities that formal systems often struggle to achieve.
You can feel it the moment you walk into these spaces. They feel alive, welcoming, and full of thought and care. Sofas are donated and lovingly upcycled, walls are covered with paintings, and people are greeted as people, not as problems to be solved or interruptions to a busy day behind a desk. They hold the space and create the conditions for people to make friends, get support they need, set up their own projects, help with other people’s projects, make decisions about what happens there and feel part of their community.
I’m looking forward to working alongside these organisations – there is so much to share, so much to learn and so much to be inspired by. But one thing we already know: these spaces are vital, and they deserve far greater recognition, support, and long-term investment so that people can continue to have quality places to meet.