Community Cares Fund Grants

Applications for the East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund are open.

Who can apply? 

You can apply for the East of England co-op Community Cares fund if you're a voluntary or community group, social enterprise organisation (VCSE) or charity looking to create or adapt services or activities to address local needs where the East of England Co-op trades.

You must be based in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex or Cambridgeshire and within a reasonable distance of one or more of our stores or branches (meaning recipients are likely to be aware of or use our services). Norfolk applications must be within 5km of an East of England Co-op store or branch.

To find out where your nearest East of England Co-op Food store, Travel branch or Funeral branch is, check our store finder. Select the option 'All branches'.

You can’t re-apply to this fund in consecutive years. If you've received a grant from the Community Cares Fund previously, there must be at least 12 months since your last end of grant report was received.

What sort of projects do you support? 

We’re particularly looking for applications from groups that are creating new services or are taking an innovative approach to adapting existing services and activities.

The theme for our fund is currently 'community cohesion and integration' and aims to support people in playing an active part in our communities to reduce barriers and inequalities and improve social contact and experiences.

Funded projects will need to show that they're working towards one or more of the following outcomes:

Improved access to social activities for all
Reduction in feelings of isolation and improved wellbeing
Supporting people into education or employment
Providing information, advice or guidance to maximise income
Evidence of partnership working or alliance formation

What grants do you provide? 

We award grants of between £1,000 and £5,000.

We will only consider applications where the East of England Co-op are funding 30% or more of costs.

What else do I need to know?

Applicants to the East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund will need to have:

A management committee of at least three members
A governing document/constitution with a dissolution clause
A bank account with two unrelated signatories living at separate addresses, who must both sign for all withdrawals
An equal opportunities policy
Annual accounts
Management accounts (if your accounts are less than six months old) which show income, expenditure, reserves (split by restricted and unrestricted)
Relevant safeguarding policies if you're working with young people or vulnerable adults

The East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund is administered on our behalf by Suffolk Community Foundation working with Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Community Foundations.

By applying to the East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund you agree to share your data with the East of England Co-op and the Community Foundations and understand that you may be contacted for publicity purposes.

Successful applicants will be required to take part in marketing activities with us to promote the East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund and the work the group is undertaking in the community.

How can I apply? 

If you haven't already done so, please read the above information to ensure your project meets the eligibility criteria. If you have, and it does - you're ready to apply!

Please select the appropriate button below based on the county in which your project is situated:

Essex (closing date )

Suffolk (closing date )

Cambridgeshire (closing date )

Norfolk (closing date )

Please note: If we receive a high volume of applications, the application period may close earlier than advertised above.

We Make a Difference

It's not just about giving money. It's what we've been doing for over 150 years.  As a co-operative we still follow in the tradition of our founders and believe in the values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. It's part of who we are and why we do what we do.  Doing the right thing and working together with our communities supports our ambition to create a better place for all through greater community cohesion and integration. We can do this because of our members and customers who help us to make a difference through generous donations and by simply choosing to shop with us. 

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