The Big Lottery Fund will be launching the £30million Community Assets programme funded by the Office of the Third Sector in September 2007. This will make grants of between £150,000 to £1 million to local authorities and third sector partners.
The aim of Community Assets is community empowerment. It will achieve this by facilitating the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to the third sector for their use as community resources. We will award grants to partnerships between local authorities and the third sector to refurbish local authority-owned buildings and facilities.
Regional Seminars
Community Assets will be hosting a series of seminars from 4-14 September for local authorities. Those local authorities wishing to attend must register by 22 August and are asked to bring along their Third Sector partners to the seminar.
As the programme is about the transfer of assets which belong to local authorities, third sector organisations cannot apply in isolation and should not attend a seminar without their local authority partner. Third sector organisations seeking to get involved are advised to contact their local authority.
The South West Seminar will be held on 5 September 2007
Please note also that the Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme being run by the Development Trusts Association (DTA) is a separate albeit complementary programme. Taking part in Advancing Assets for Communities is not a prerequisite for applying to Community Assets. Equally, if a local authority has been selected by DTA as one of the 20 demonstration projects it is still eligible to apply to Community Assets
For more information about the Seminar contact Catherine Stevens catherine.stevens@biglotteryfund.org.uk
For further information about the Community Assets Programme contact Suzanne King Suzanne.King@biglotteryfund.org.uk