Trusthouse is interested in applications for capital projects at community centres in the most deprived urban areas and village halls in remote and economically deprived rural areas.
The Foundation wants to support community centres and village halls which are at the heart of small, deprived communities. They expect that you will be providing a range of activities for all ages and abilities which help to promote community cohesion and address local problems of isolation, poverty, lack of local facilities, transport and other issues of relevance to your area.
The Foundation interprets ‘community centres’ in the broad sense, so you might be a church, sports facility or other building which offers a range of activities throughout the week which all the community can access.
The Foundation will consider applications for new buildings; upgrading, renovating or extending buildings; improving or creating outside space (but not car parks). You will need to have secured a minimum of 50% of the costs of the project before you start an application to them. They will expect you to have local fundraising initiatives under way to show that your community supports what you do and feels a sense of ownership in the building.
Their interests include innovative schemes for bringing back disused buildings into full community use, such as community shops combined with space for community activities; community hubs which bring different groups together to share space and offer easy access to a range of services. At the same time, we are also interested in traditional village halls which provide the standard activities which keep a community together.
