Royal Countryside Fund open

The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) has announced its new UK-wide Supporting Rural Communities grant programme is now open for expressions of interest.

This new differentiated funding will support transformative, community-led initiatives across the UK, unlocking the huge potential for positive change in rural communities. The aim of RCF is to support innovative solutions that will “power up, not prop up” communities, inspiring change and encouraging economic vibrancy.

Organisations can apply for grants of up to £25,000 over a period of 24 months to deliver activities along the themes of:

• Keeping young people in the countryside
• Powering up rural communities
• Increasing environmental sustainability
• Building emergency resilience in rural areas.

This funding is available to community organisations, not individuals or private businesses. You can apply if your organisation has an income of less than £500,000 a year and is a:

• constituted voluntary or community organisation
• registered, exempt or excepted charity
• charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
• not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
• community interest company (CIC)
• community benefit society
• co-operative society

There is a two-stage application process. Initially, you will need to send a short video and complete a simple ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI) form. These should let RCF know who you are, what you aim to do, why your project is needed and how it will help your community. You should also set out how the project meets their funding priorities.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest is midday on Friday, 21^st February 2025.

Full details of how to apply and terms and conditions can be found at Supporting Rural Communities – The Royal Countryside Fund

Pic credit: A Robertson