Funding for small local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to help bring people and communities together as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

Funded by the Government and the National Lottery Community Fund, the new £4 million Local Connections Fund is intended for small constituted voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations with an annual income of £50,000 or less.

There will be two funding rounds, with a total of £2 million available for each round

Grants of between £300 and £2,500 are to be used to:

• Build relationships in and across communities to help reduce loneliness and build connections between people and communities
• Bring together organisations who are working on social connections to celebrate their work, share learning and best practice, and form/bring together peer networks.

This is to help make:

• People and communities feel more connected.
• Individuals feel supported and less lonely or isolated.
• People more aware of services available that help them to connect with others and get involved.
• Organisations learn from each other.

The grants can be used for a number of different things including staff salaries, volunteer expenses, management costs, overheads, small-scale equipment and small-scale venue improvements.

Applications will be accepted from constituted VCSE organisations that serve communities within England.

There will be two funding rounds, one in January 2021 and one in summer 2021.

Applications open on 5 January 2021 and close on 26 January 2021.