Following the Prime Minister’s and Minister for Sport and Civil Society’s announcement to unlock £20m funding to tackle loneliness (as a part of Government’s wider endorsement of the Jo Cox Commission recommendations), a new £11.5 million Building Connections Fund has been set up to support projects that are able to prevent or reduce loneliness.
The fund is a partnership between Government, Big Lottery Fund and the Co-op Foundation and aims to:
- increase social connections, helping people form strong and meaningful relationships and creating a sense of community and belonging, and helping people feel more connected
- support organisations to build on their existing work, eg by reaching more people, or working in a new area or with a different method or group of people
- encourage organisations to join up with others locally
- improve the evidence base and use learning to inform longer term policy and funding decisions.
Area: England
Suitable for: Voluntary or community organisations
Funding size: £30,000 to £100,000
Total available: Main fund: Close to £9 million
Application closing date: Main fund: Friday 24 August by 12 noon. Awards will be made by December 2018 and projects can be funded until March 2021