Community Right to Challenge Grant

What is it? Through The Social Investment Business’s Community Right to Challenge Grant, more than £10m is available to community groups looking to take over local services, such as probation services for young people and libraries. Since mid-July 2012, community groups have been able to apply for funding to help them use the community right to challenge contained in the Localism Act. The right empowers local community organisations to take over a local service if they can run them more effectively. ?

How much is on offer? Grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 are available to help organisations build capacity. Organisations that can demonstrate a strong potential to compete for public service delivery contracts can apply for feasibility grants of up to £100,000 to help prepare an expression of interest or compete in a procurement process. A bid to provide services will be considered by a local authority.

What will it fund? Grant funding is available for internal capacity building and management capability. This can include work to assess and address the capacity of the organisation to bid for contracts; improvements in governance and management; supporting the costs of incorporation or the formation of consortia; and coaching or mentoring for existing staff to build their abilities to bid for and to deliver public services.

When is the deadline? The programme will run until July 2015.