PN 04-04-84 CF

21 April 2004

Countryside Communities and the Carnegie Commission announce funding partnership

Rural communities are to receive a major boost to help them regenerate, thanks to a partnership being launched today between two key funding schemes.

The partnership between the Lottery funded Countryside Communities scheme and the new Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development, set up by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT), will see £6.2 million ploughed into helping strengthen rural communities, providing them with practical support to shape and influence sustainable change.

Launching the partnership, Charlie McConnell, Chief Executive of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust said, “The Carnegie UK Trust has supported rural village initiatives for many years, we see this partnership with the Lottery funded Countryside Communities scheme, as central to the more strategic approach that the Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development will be taking to influence public policy and practice on the ground in support of rural community development.”

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Community Fund, which operates the Countryside Communities scheme in conjunction with the Countryside Agency said, “Like Carnegie, the Community Fund has supported rural areas for many years and we welcome this partnership because its strategic approach is of huge importance to the way our funding is moving forward, particularly as we join with the New Opportunities Fund to create the Big Lottery Fund. We believe that to make a long-lasting difference we need to be a funding organisation that will challenge existing policy and practice and shape and influence sustainable change. We are committed to working with Carnegie to achieve this.”

A conference is being planned for September 2004, which will enable the two funders to learn from what already exists and share information about what works by asking the question – ‘How would you spend £6.2 million to make a significant difference in rural areas?’

The Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development was launched in March this year by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT) and seeks to put community led development at the heart of rural regeneration policy and practice. It is chaired by Lord (David) Steel of Aikwood and comprises 23 leading commentators, academics and practitioners concerned with rural issues.

Countryside Communities has ring fenced £16.2 million to distribute to eight rural local authority areas within England, which were identified as not having had their fair share of Lottery money, as well as the £2.2 million earmarked for UK-wide projects, which will now form one half of the partnership with the Carnegie Commission.
Countryside Communities is in addition to the on-going fair share scheme, which the Community Fund runs in co-operation with the New Opportunities Fund, and which targets 77 deprived areas – both urban and rural – throughout the whole of the UK.

From 1 June 2004, the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund will merge to form a new single lottery distributor, the Big Lottery Fund. This will establish the biggest National Lottery distributor delivering half of all good cause funding to communities across the UK.

Notes for Editors

1. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities, voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence.

2. Since 1995 Community Fund has awarded over 60,000 grants worth more than £2.7 billion to UK charities and voluntary groups.

3. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operation name to the Community Fund – Lottery money making a difference in April 2001.

4. A new organisation is currently being formed from the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund and will soon be distributing a major share of the good causes money raised through the National Lottery. This is an exciting opportunity for us to build on what both Funds have achieved so far and create an even more responsive and accessible organisation. The new distributor, the Big Lottery Fund, will be launched in June 2004. Current programmes, beneficiaries and applications will not be affected.

5. The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. We intend to support sustainable projects that will improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK, address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society, encourage community participation and complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes. (Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of deprivation).

6. The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising Government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside. For more information visit http://www.countryside.gov.uk

7. The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent not for profit foundation established by Scots-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1913. The UK Trust focuses primarily upon social development and community empowerment programmes. It supports research, public policy analysis and policy advocacy, together with the provision of grants to over 150 grass roots projects within the UK and Ireland. For more information see separate briefing document.

Media Enquiries:
Community Press office on 020 7211 3709
Carnegie UK Trust on 07793 542869

	21 April 2004 Countryside Communities and the Carnegie Commission announce funding partnership
	Rural communities are to receive a major boost to help them regenerate, thanks to a partnership being launched today between two key funding schemes. The partnership between the Lottery funded Countryside Communities scheme and the new Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development, set up by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT), will see £6.2 million ploughed into helping strengthen rural communities, providing them with practical support to shape and influence sustainable change. Launching the partnership, Charlie McConnell, Chief Executive of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust said, “The Carnegie UK Trust has supported rural village initiatives for many years, we see this partnership with the Lottery funded Countryside Communities scheme, as central to the more strategic approach that the Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development will be taking to influence public policy and practice on the ground in support of rural community development.” Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Community Fund, which operates the Countryside Communities scheme in conjunction with the Countryside Agency said, “Like Carnegie, the Community Fund has supported rural areas for many years and we welcome this partnership because its strategic approach is of huge importance to the way our funding is moving forward, particularly as we join with the New Opportunities Fund to create the Big Lottery Fund. We believe that to make a long-lasting difference we need to be a funding organisation that will challenge existing policy and practice and shape and influence sustainable change. We are committed to working with Carnegie to achieve this.” A conference is being planned for September 2004, which will enable the two funders to learn from what already exists and share information about what works by asking the question – ‘How would you spend £6.2 million to make a significant difference in rural areas?’ The Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development was launched in March this year by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (CUKT) and seeks to put community led development at the heart of rural regeneration policy and practice. It is chaired by Lord (David) Steel of Aikwood and comprises 23 leading commentators, academics and practitioners concerned with rural issues. Countryside Communities has ring fenced £16.2 million to distribute to eight rural local authority areas within England, which were identified as not having had their fair share of Lottery money, as well as the £2.2 million earmarked for UK-wide projects, which will now form one half of the partnership with the Carnegie Commission. Countryside Communities is in addition to the on-going fair share scheme, which the Community Fund runs in co-operation with the New Opportunities Fund, and which targets 77 deprived areas – both urban and rural – throughout the whole of the UK. From 1 June 2004, the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund will merge to form a new single lottery distributor, the Big Lottery Fund. This will establish the biggest National Lottery distributor delivering half of all good cause funding to communities across the UK. Notes for Editors 1. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities, voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence. 2. Since 1995 Community Fund has awarded over 60,000 grants worth more than £2.7 billion to UK charities and voluntary groups. 3. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operation name to the Community Fund – Lottery money making a difference in April 2001. 4. A new organisation is currently being formed from the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund and will soon be distributing a major share of the good causes money raised through the National Lottery. This is an exciting opportunity for us to build on what both Funds have achieved so far and create an even more responsive and accessible organisation. The new distributor, the Big Lottery Fund, will be launched in June 2004. Current programmes, beneficiaries and applications will not be affected. 5. The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. We intend to support sustainable projects that will improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK, address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society, encourage community participation and complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes. (Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of deprivation). 6. The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising Government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside. For more information visit http://www.countryside.gov.uk 7. The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent not for profit foundation established by Scots-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1913. The UK Trust focuses primarily upon social development and community empowerment programmes. It supports research, public policy analysis and policy advocacy, together with the provision of grants to over 150 grass roots projects within the UK and Ireland. For more information see separate briefing document.		Media Enquiries: Community Press office on 020 7211 3709 Carnegie UK Trust on 07793 542869