This fund has now closed

Community Housing Fund - Phase one

The first phase of the £163m Community Housing Fund was launched by Homes England on the 2 July 2018.

Area: England (except London)

Amount: 

Type: Revenue and capital funding

Open to: Eligible organisations include registered charities, companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies, community interest companies and other organisations operating as social enterprises. Local authorities and Registered Providers may also apply and community organisations can also ask them to do so on their behalf.

Deadline: December 2019

What are they looking for?

• Homes England are looking to fund genuine community led housing organisations. Organisations must be constituted as a body corporate - or have the intention of becoming one. There are grants available to groups that need financial support with incorporation costs, to read more about the Community Led Homes Start-Up Support Fund click here. 
   
• Homes England expect groups to fund at least 10% of their project through other means. Have a good look through the other funding options that we've set out on this website.
   
• The Fund has been designed to fund homes that would not have been delivered otherwise. This means Homes England will not award funding to projects that are likely to proceed without funding (e.g. through the use of Section 106 money).
   
• Your project must be deliverable, Homes England will not fund schemes that are a high risk. Work with your local hub or technical adviser to make sure all the costs stack up and the project is feasible. 

What will they fund?

Phase one of the Community Housing Fund provides grants for: 

Revenue costs

• Community group capacity-building, including seedcorn funding to get started.
• Project-specific professional fees and costs, including feasibility work, design work.
• Planning applications, business planning and project management.
• Local authority costs to support community led housing projects, e.g. staff. 

 
Capital costs for infrastructure

• Development of associated infrastructure which will support community housing development, which may include roads, site remediation, flood attenuation, and utilities. 

Only local authorities can bid for this capital funding, but this can be on behalf of community led housing groups.

How to apply

Read the full Community Housing Fund prospectus here.

The Prospectus sets out the assessment criteria for bids covering value for money, deliverability and the strategic fit with the aims of the CHF. To apply you must submit details via the Homes England bidding portal: https://bids.homesengland.org.uk