Where do community groups get their funding? It’s a great question and the answer is that they usually have to work hard to get a mixture of resources including:

• Subs and membership fees
• Charges for attending activities
• Selling goods or services (trading)
• Fundraising activities e.g. coffee mornings, sponsored walks
• Donations of time, cash or goods and services
• Crowdfunding
• Community shares
• Loans and social investment
• Tax reliefs including gift aid
• Sponsorship
• Contracts
• Grants

Even small groups will have a mixture of funding. It is very unusual to find a community group of any kind that is 100% funded by grants and it isn’t a realistic long-term ambition for a new organisation.

Many charities are enterprising, they both trade and are funded by a mixture of different types of funding. This mixture of funding and increase in selling services or goods has been driven by a reduction in public funding and high competition for grants.

How Community Action can help

Need to talk through your options? If the community organisation is in Bradford district UK (including Shipley, Ilkley, Bingley and Keighley), Community Action can help.

Make an appointment to talk to one of our development officers or book a place on the next DIY Fundraising course specifically aimed at new organisations. For organisations with an annual income under £100,000 advice and getting started training courses are free of charge.

Next step! Read about preparing to fundraise

Next step! See a list of funding and grants for organisations

Funding training – next dates

Looking for funding for a private business or person in need?

Sorry, Community Action doesn’t provide advice to private businesses, sole traders or individuals in need:

• Private businesses in Bradford district can use the business funding search provided by Invest in Bradford.
• People in need can use the Turn2Us grants search.