# Funding opportunity for community businesses

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/09/24/funding-opportunity-for-community-businesses/
- Published: 2020-09-24T09:09:16+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Support is available for community businesses through a new £5m Community Business
Renewal scheme from Power to Change.**

 

[Power to Change](http://www.powertochange.org.uk) is launching a new £5 million
package of support to help community businesses affected by the Covid-19 crisis 
to adapt, renew and rebuild their businesses so they can remain financially viable
and best serve their local communities during the pandemic’s ‘new normal’.

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The Community Business Renewal scheme has been designed by Power to Change based
on evidence and input from partners and community businesses themselves. It aims
to support community businesses in a variety of ways and working with partners it
will include:

 

 * A new fund offering unrestricted grants supporting resilience, renewal and restructure
   of community businesses
 * Capacity strengthening support to help community businesses increase knowledge,
   resilience and equip themselves to ‘re-boot’ successfully
 * Two match-funding programmes to support community businesses with different types
   of fundraising
 * Tailored support to help community businesses protect community assets
 * A programme of work highlighting the role community business can play in the 
   economic recovery

 

 

Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change, said:

 

> “As the country continues to adjust to a constantly shifting ‘new normal’, we 
> know there are tough times ahead. In order to survive community businesses need
> to adapt and build long-term resilience. Community Business Renewal will help 
> communities take the steps they need now to put them in the best possible position
> to weather future uncertainty, so they are able to continue serving their communities
> for years to come.”

 

This new £5million package is the second part of Power to Change’s £12million response
to the Covid-19 pandemic. In April 2020, the trust announced emergency funding to
support community businesses during lockdown. It awarded more than 356 grants totalling
£6.75million to community businesses in England.

 

 

 

Main image: Previous recipient of Power to Change funding Bread+Rosies. It received
a £25,000 grant to help it survive lockdown and diversify its offering. This has
enabled the organisation to undertake a partial reopening; invest in video conferencing
facilities to better meet business needs in its meeting rooms and co-working spaces;
and further develop its online shop. 

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