The Co-operative Membership Community Fund is our grants scheme which helps local communities throughout the UK.
Since we started the initiative in 1997, thousands of clubs, community groups and local charities have benefited.
The scheme is unique in that it is funded by generous Co-operative members donating some or all of their share of profits, which is then given away in the form of small grants in their local communities. These members have already given millions of pounds away, and last year alone over £1 million was awarded to successful groups.
How to apply
If your community, voluntary or self-help group needs a grant of up between £100 and £2,000, you can apply using our online form.
How to donate
If you are a Co-operative Member and wish to start donating to the Community Fund, or you’d like to increase the amount you give to the Fund, please login to your profit account with your membership number, and visit the ‘manage your profit account’ page. You can choose to contribute as little or as much as you want from your share of profits.
How the money has been spent
In 2009, 938 awards were made, totalling over £1million. Here’s how those awards were distributed:
See how some community groups who benefited recently have used their awards
Springfield Community Flat
The Community Fund is creating sparks with young people at the Springfield Community Flat in South London which has set up a Hobby Electronics Club. The club, which was awarded a grant of £1,954 from the Community Fund, is run weekly at the Stewart Road Adventure Playground and is open to children and young people from the age of 8 to 25 years from the local community.
John Hepple, who runs the club said ‘It is great to see how enthusiastic the young people are about the club. Not only are they learning new skills around electronics, they are also learning how to work together and other transferable skills which will be useful no matter what they decide to do.’
It is hoped that the most interested young people will be inspired to take the skills that they learn to a new level by undertaking formal education and training, as well as employment opportunities, in electronics in the future.
18th Tynemouth Scout Group
Scouts from Tynemouth are trailing ahead following a donation of £2,000
The 18th Tynemouth Scout Group, which meets in Battle Hill, Wallsend, has seen its membership more than double over the past 18 months to more than 90 members. To support its youth programme, the group is planning more camping trips and has used the money from The Co-operative to help buy a trailer to make transporting its camping equipment easier.
Scout Leader Peter Thorp said: “Over the past two years we have had to hire vans to take all our equipment to campsites but this was proving to be a great expense.
“Thanks to this very generous donation from The Co-operative, the new trailer means we don’t have to pay for van hire and can therefore reduce the camp fees and make outdoor activities more accessible to more of our members. We are very pleased with our purchase.”
Lisvane Panthers
The Lisvane Panthers in Cardiff applied to the Community Fund in September 2009, for £450 to enable them to purchase football kits for their newly formed Under-7’s team. The club had attracted over 20 girls and boys who wanted to learn how to play football and to play against other local teams on a monthly basis.
The Co-operative Membership Community Fund is a trading name of the Co-operative Community Investment Foundation (CCIF), a registered charity in England and Wales (number 1093928), and a Company Limited by Guarantee, (number 4117665)
Downloading PDF files
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