The Community Assets Programme

The Community Assets Programme is funded by the Office of the Third Sector and managed by the Big Lottery Fund. The aim of the £30m programme is community empowerment - facilitated by the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to the third sector for community benefit. 

The Development Trusts Association is working with Community Matters to deliver comprehensive support to the 38 in-principle award winners (see: Community Asset Programme Projects - In-principle Award Winners). The partnerships involved in the programme are from a mix of urban, rural and coastal environments. 

The Community Assets Programme is intended to deliver the following outcomes:-

1. Local third sector organisations have greater security and independence, and are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve
2. Communities have greater access to better facilities that respond to their needs
3. There is more effective partnership working between local authorities and the third sector
   

Each area is benefiting from tailored packages of support from the DTA and partners to progress transfer of a local authority asset to a third sector organisation. The support is intended to facilitate the development of high quality capital delivery plans to underpin proposed refurbishment work by each partnership and includes design input; assistance with legal and governance issues; VAT advice; business planning support; fundraising and marketing advice; community consultation support; as well as more generic capacity building activities. Successful partnerships will commence related asset refurbishment work during 2009.

Please see the Community Assets Programme Map for more information about specific projects, or visit the BIG Lottery Fund's programme page for further details.