Shape your neighbourhood’s future with Footwork’s ‘People and Place’ Programme
Got a great idea to breathe new life into local buildings?
Community ownership of places and spaces can be transformative – and it’s one of the themes welcomed in Footwork’s programme of support for 2025. Applications are open until 9th September.
In London’s Catford, Lenny is turning a former working men’s club into a thriving community-owned music venue. Head up to South Woodford, and Jo is crafting an active green neighbourhood with a unique, community-led design code.
Over in York, Laurie and James are bringing a collective ownership model to the city’s housing market, to tackle the rising prices of homes that local incomes can’t accommodate.
And from their new space on Hillsborough high street, Linda and Emily are creating a ‘neighbourhood arts centre without walls’...
These are just a few examples of the community innovators supported by our friends at Footwork in the last couple of years. Now, the early-stage funder is looking to support 10 more individuals and groups in 2025 who have amazing ideas for a pressing local issue, around three core themes – Assets, Agency, Resources – or related challenges.
Take Assets: are you looking to make lasting change in your neighbourhood by ensuring facilities, land or buildings are used and/or owned by local people?
Perhaps you’ve got an idea for a church with underutilised space or a vacant former bank. Perhaps you’re rethinking how your high street as a whole can better serve local needs and respond to the changing climate.
Maybe there’s a treasured heritage building that a group of organisations is ready to bring to life together – to make a local hub of thriving community businesses, activities and services.
You might be facing barriers at this point, like absent asset owners, lack of time and initial funds, or the need for local authority buy-in. It might be your first attempt at unlocking community assets, or perhaps you’ve identified your 3rd or 5th space.
As you work through the challenges you’re facing today, People and Place could be the leg-up you need. The programme offers funding, support and connections to get your bold idea off the ground or scale its existing impact.
People and Place 2025: What Footwork offers
Footwork’s People and Place programme weaves you into a network of innovators. Like you, these people and organisations are all creating strong, locally-led projects that will have a lasting impact on communities up and down the country.
Everyone on the programme receives:
One-to-one support from a mentor carefully matched with you. If you’re working on community asset ownership, this could look like someone with Dr Jess Steele’s experience (read about Jess and Deana’s collaboration)
Shared learning and experience-swaps with your peers to discover tips and tricks and overcome challenges together
Place visits from the Footwork team where you showcase your work and its impact on your community, so Footwork can best support you to build local and national alliances
An unrestricted grant of £5,000 awarded directly to you or your organisation.
Lasting neighbourhood change starts with you
Ready to take your bold idea to the next stage? There’s a helpful quick quiz on Footwork’s website to check the programme’s the right fit. Try it today and send your full application by 9th September.
