Membership means more for you, and more for your community.
Date Published: 09/09/2025 | Blog category: Other
Welcome back Community Support Fund!
Our Community Dividend Fund is back – renamed as our Community Support Fund!
A core part of our co-operative principles – giving back to the communities we work in.
From the 1st of October, Central Co-op Members can apply for grants of £500 - £2,000. The first round of funding will focus on supporting young people, with applications open until the 12th of November.
If successful, you’ll have 12 months to use the funding and update us on your progress - helping to make a real difference in your community.
A fresh look at community giving
For many years, Central Co-op has proudly supported local causes through our Community Dividend Fund, which reinvested 1% of our annual profits into community projects. Over the last five years, we’ve invested £679,400 and supported 665 projects.
In Spring 2024, we paused the fund to redesign it, based on our Member’s feedback.
The refreshed fund will:
- Aligns with our key priorities: young people, the environment, and mental health & wellbeing. The things our Members told us were most important to them.
- Rewards our most engaged Members, linking applications to active Membership.
- Brings decision making closer to communities through our elected Member and Community Councils.
The result is the new Community Support Fund - refreshed to deliver even greater impact.
What’s new?
Three funding cycles per year, each dedicated to one of our priorities:
- October: Young people
- February: Sustainability and environmental projects
- June: Mental health initiatives (chosen by our Members)
Active Membership: applicants must be full Members with an active shopping record. To make it fairer and maximise your chances, you can include up to two Membership numbers in your application.
Local decision making: grants are awarded by representatives from our four Membership and Community Councils, keeping decisions rooted in our local communities, made by the people who live and work in them.
Funding available: each region receives a share of the pot proportionate to active Membership spend. In year one, an additional £86,000 underspend from 2024/25 will also be distributed.
How to apply
Apply online from the 1st of October until the 12th of November.
For Members in Essex
We’re pleased to welcome Members and colleagues from Chelmsford Star into Central Co-op from the 15th of September. Chelmsford Star have their own fantastic community fund scheme, and both schemes will continue to run alongside each other following the transfer.
The Chelmsford Star Co-operative Community Fund, ran in partnership with the Essex Community Foundation, will continue unchanged. Grants of £500 - £5,000 will be awarded locally by a panel of elected Co-op Members.
This new Community Support Fund is about putting Members at the heart of decision making, strengthening communities and supporting projects that matter most.
We can’t wait to see the inspiring applications that come forward in October and to celebrate the positive changes our Members will help bring about. Together, we’ll continue to build stronger, fairer and more sustainable communities - the co-operative way.
