Who can apply

To apply, you must meet the organisation requirements set out by Co-op's Local Community Fund.

Your cause and your Project also need to be in keeping with Co-op's values.

You can make an application if your Project:

brings people together to access food
helps improve people’s mental wellbeing
creates opportunities for young people to be heard and make a difference
helps people protect local biodiversity or tackle change by reducing carbon emissions
We'll also give priority to local charities and other organisations with an income of less than £1 million a year.

We’ll only consider one application per organisation, per giving period (usually 12 months, but it can vary).

This means we will not consider multiple applications from the same organisation in a giving period for different local communities.

Contact details submitted on the Application must be those of the local people managing and delivering the Project applied for.

We will not consider any applications which involve:

promoting any political activities or causes
promoting any religious beliefs (but we will consider projects led by religious organisations, if they're for the good of the whole community)
funding salaries and overheads that are not directly related to delivering the Project you are applying for
giving our grant to other people or organisations (onward grant making)
projects that have already happened or will be finished before the giving period ends
projects that public authorities (for example, the council) are responsible for, by law
sponsored events
overseas projects
projects which, in our opinion, could harm the reputation of the Co-op or the Local Community Fund

We choose new causes for our communities every 12 months. Applications will open again in Spring 2023.