Co-op Community Dividend Fund

Funding for not-for-private profit organisation to support local causes and make a positive difference across the central region of England.

Central England Co-operative invests a percentage of its trading profit back into the communities it serves by providing grants for local good causes.

The Co-op has recently revamped the Fund after temporarily repurposing the Fund last year to support groups impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Projects now need to align with at least one of the following areas:

Access to food – improving access to food in a way that encourages healthy, balanced choices to be made.
Health and wellbeing - projects that directly or indirectly promote physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Inclusion projects - directly or indirectly support greater inclusion of vulnerable, excluded, or hard to reach groups.
Environment – inside and outside spaces that support increased sustainability e.g. energy saving projects, sustainable travel, biodiversity and food security.
Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are available. The average grant is £2,000.

Members of Central England Co-operative, including local good causes, community groups, charities, social enterprises and Community Interest Companies, are eligible to apply as long as they:

Have been a full member of Central England Co-operative for at least six months.
Are located in the trading area of a Central England Co-operative outlet.
Are a not-for-private profit organisation.
Beneficiaries must be communities in which Central England Co-operative trades. Applicants should clearly demonstrate the benefit to the community. All projects must be consistent with Co-operative values and principles.

Applications will be accepted from the following areas: West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Applications are currently being accepted with a deadline of 31 July 2021.

For more information visit https://www.centralengland.coop/community-covid/