< Back

Wyre Community Cohesion Fund - Up to £25,000

Building Stronger, Safer and More Connected Communities Across Wyre

About the Wyre Community Cohesion Fund

The Wyre Community Cohesion Fund is a fund established to build community relationships and social trust and to promote cohesion between communities. Cohesive communities are places that:

● offer a common vision and a sense of belonging for all

● positively value diversity

● provide equal opportunities to people from different backgrounds and

● provide an environment where strong and positive relationships can be developed between people from different backgrounds.

The fund and associated grant administration process will be administered by Community First Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde on behalf of Wyre Council. Grant funding of £150,000 will be available.

Launching on 11th May 2026, applications will be open for an 8-week period, closing at midday on Monday 29th June 2026.

Applications are welcome from local organisations within the VCFSE sector based in or delivering work in Wyre. Projects should align with one or more of the following themes:

● A focus on creating community cohesion and a sense of togetherness

● Improving local partnership approaches to supporting community resilience by funding projects that strengthen social capital.

● Initiatives that strengthen community connections, promote unity and shared values.

Examples of likely eligible expenditure for the Wyre Community Cohesion Fund include projects that:

● Improve community cohesion and understanding between individuals, communities and groups from different backgrounds, beliefs and cultures in Wyre.

● Bring people together from different groups, including those of different faiths, around a shared goal/objective, such as volunteering, befriending or mentoring schemes.

● Connect young people from different backgrounds in safe spaces.

● Activities that bring different parts of the community together to listen, share and interact e.g. events/workshops where individuals can hear directly from people who are ‘different’ from them e.g. refugees directly sharing their experiences.

● Inter-community projects aimed at connecting people of different backgrounds and improving community connections, for example activities that support mental health through gardening, art, singing or sports projects.

● Build communication pathways between communities that promote ongoing dialogue and a shared identity, for example sessions providing English Language provision or improving English language skills.

● Build partnerships with the aim to work collectively on projects

● Increase personal confidence interacting with others or build trust in others.

● Enable communities to build networks and deliver projects/ activities that foster greater cohesion. ● Increase safety and respect for individuals and communities

● Reduce the risk of hate crime, macro/micro-aggressions and radicalisation

Eligibility

The funding is available to organisations that are:

● A voluntary and community constituted group with a volunteer management committee with a minimum of three unrelated members that meets on a regular basis (at least three times per year) or

● A registered charity, with a board of trustees, or

● A registered Social Enterprise Community Interest Company (CIC) operating on a not-for-profit basis. (Applicants may be asked to produce copies of their Community Interest Statement, details of the Asset Lock included in their Memorandum and Articles of Association and copy of their latest annual community interest report.)

Applicant organisations must also:

● Provide local community activities or services within the borough which benefit Wyre residents

● Have a formal constitution or a governing document

● Have a bank account requiring at least two unrelated signatories

● Operate with no undue restrictions on membership

● Have a safeguarding policy for children, young people and vulnerable adults where appropriate.

Assessment criteria

As well as meeting the priorities and aims, the project must also:

● Take place in the Wyre District

● Involve local communities

● Demonstrate a need for the project

● Be a new project or show how it adds value to an existing project