Community Ownership Fund Round 4: how to express your interest in applying
This fund helps community groups buy or renovate assets that would otherwise be lost to the community.
Communities will rightly be seeking clarity regarding Round 4 and the future of the Community Ownership Fund.
This government was elected on a manifesto that stressed its commitment to the communities’ sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them.
We recognise uncertainty is challenging for groups seeking to save vital community assets; the government is carefully considering all available options and will confirm plans in due course.
We encourage community groups to explore support which remains available through the Community Ownership Fund’s development support provider via the ‘My Community’ website. We have worked closely with them to produce guidance and tools that would help any organisation to save an asset important to them.
We have sought to make improvements to the Expression of Interest (EOI) form in order to improve applicant experience and to cut the time taken for the applicant to get a result.
The new EOI has been simplified to give applicants a result within minutes, meaning that they will be able to see whether their project could be suitable for COF much quicker than before.
To enable the move to the new system, EOIs submitted prior to February 2024 will no longer be valid. If you wish to submit a full application to COF in a future application window, you will need to complete a new EOI. Only applicants who submitted an EOI in the new system will be informed when a bidding window is about to open and will receive the link needed to apply to COF.
Summary of the Community Ownership Fund
You must read the full details about the fund in the prospectus before you start your expression of interest. The prospectus contains everything you need to know about our eligibility criteria.
This fund helps community groups buy or renovate assets that would otherwise be lost to the community.
Assets are venues and meeting spaces used by the local community, such as:
- community centres
- cinemas and theatres
- galleries
- museums
- music venues
- parks
- post office buildings
- pubs
- shops
- sporting and leisure facilities
Assets can be at risk of being lost to the community from:
- closure or end of lease
- neglect or dereliction
- an unsustainable current business model
- being for sale
- being listed for disposal
- being part of a community asset transfer
The asset must offer value to local people. You must be able to run it sustainably for the long term.
How to start an application
Before you can submit a full application to the Community Ownership Fund, you must first submit an expression of interest (EOI). This is a short form that enables us to assess whether your project may be suitable for COF.
Once completed, the form will give you a result within minutes.
Applicants that are not suitable for the fund will be informed immediately after submitting their EOI. All other applicants will receive an email confirming that they may be suitable for COF. In some circumstances, where an applicant’s answers indicate that they are likely to be suitable but are at risk of not meeting all the requirements at full application, the email will contain further guidance. This will include advice on any issues that they must address before completing a full application.
Development support is now available to applicants via the My Community website.
Our development support provider offers initial support and advice to all interested applicants up to the EOI stage.
After the EOI stage, certain applicants will be able to access in-depth support for the development of their application and business case. This may also include access to small revenue grants to secure specialist support.
The questions are straightforward, and we expect it will take you around 20-30 minutes to complete. Please answer all questions accurately and truthfully.
Here is the list of questions you will be asked when submitting an EOI application.
Section 1: Organisation details
- Organisation name
- Alternative names of your organisation (optional)
- Organisation address
- How your organisation is classified
- Is your organisation subject to any insolvency actions?
Section 2: About your asset
- Does your organisation plan both to receive the funding and run the project?
- Type of asset
- Is the asset based in the UK?
- Address of the asset
- Is the asset at risk?
- What is the risk to the asset? (optional)
- Has the asset ever been used by or had significance to the community?
- Do you already own the asset?
- Does the asset belong to a public authority? (optional)
- Select the option which best represents the stage you are at in purchasing the asset (optional)
Section 3: Your funding request
- What do you plan to use COF’s funding for?
- Will the leasehold have at least 15 years when your organisation submits a full application? (optional)
- How much capital funding are you requesting from COF?
- Do you plan to request any revenue funding?
- Do you plan to secure match funding (either cash or in-kind)?
- Where do you plan to source match funding? (optional)
- What progress have you made to secure this funding? (optional)
- Does your project include an element of housing?
- Will you need planning permission for your project?
- What stage are you at in securing planning permission? (optional)
Section 4: Development Support Provider
- Do you wish to be contacted by the development support provider, if eligible for in-depth support?
- What are the main things you feel you need support with to submit a good COF application?
- Describe your project and its aims
- Lead contact details
Anyone from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland can express an interest in applying. The process is the same in all areas.
If you’re planning to apply jointly with another organisation, only one of the organisations can submit an EOI.
You can plan to apply for more than one asset, but you must submit an EOI for each one.
What happens next?
Applicants who have submitted an EOI form and have received a successful outcome will be informed 2 weeks before any bidding window opens to full applications, and on the day of its formal opening.
If you receive a successful outcome from the new EOI form you will receive a link to the full application form for all future windows. You will not need to submit another EOI for each bidding window.
Ask a question about your expression of interest
Find the Development Support provider at the My Community website.
Updates to this page
Published 6 March 2024Last updated 15 August 2024 + show all updates
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Statement added on the status of Round 4 of the Fund.
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Updated to show the opening date of the Round 4 Window 1.
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First published.