The UK Government is betting on investment into physical spaces to build stronger communities by launching a second round of their annual fund.
Introduced in 2025 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), the Common Ground Award helps charities in England with grants to invest in their facilities.
The aim is to build physical spaces that bridge social connections across communities.
Last year, the first round saw £1.75 million awarded to 211 charities across England, with almost £500,000 distributed in London alone.
Previous winners, Brixton’s BIGKID Foundation, spoke of the importance of government awards aimed at funding infrastructural shortfalls at a community level.
BIGKID Senior Operations Manager, Rain Cloudmaker, sees the fund as a way to let the community “create a space that feels like their space.”
A fixture of Dexter’s Playground in Brixton since 2021, the youth club provides local residents with a space to attend weekly workshops, football training sessions, and leadership and mentoring programmes aimed at 11-25 year olds.
Kathy Silenga, Head of Development at BIGKID Foundation, explained how they used their £10,000 award to pay for a fire door, a new entrance gate, and laptops.
She said: “It’s not the most glamorous thing to support, but it helps fix things that have been lingering for a long time.”
The charity – one of 51 in London to win last year’s inaugural award – used part of its grant to commission a mural by local artist Harriet Rose.
The renewal of this fund comes at an especially challenging time in the sector.
Silenga has worked at BIGKID through both the recent pandemic and the current cost of living crisis.
She said: “Funders are struggling because they’re being oversubscribed.
“That’s obviously a reflection of the need in the sector.”
BIGKID Foundation wants to build a home away from home for young people who’s communities are more exposed to the threat of violence than most.
They said: “They’re 100% impacted by violence in their communities. They aren’t the ones in the gangs, but they’re on the fringes.”
Throughout the year, the charity provides an alternative space for 2,500 children and young adults.
The culmination of BIGKID’s physical presence in the heart of Brixton is for the young people who come through the door to recognise that “people from different postcodes aren’t the enemy.”
Cloudmaker said: “You see strangers coming in, and at a certain point in time, it feels like family.”
Both agree that infrastructure funding matters for the charity’s long-term goal to end youth violence.
They said: “Otherwise, you’re building a foundation in the sand.
“Just by the site being open and available, it creates a space where these relationships can grow.”
Last year’s winners also included London Community Kitchen in Bermondsey, who train the unemployed in cookery qualifications, and the Southwark Pensioner’s Center in Camberwell, who organise social events and provide practical advice for individuals over 50.
Applications for the new round of grants closed early last month, earmarking £2.5 million in funds for charities in England.
Increasing the size of their investment by £500,000 for the latest round, the UK Government may be providing a lifeline to a sector that is struggling to fund social services for those that need them most.
Featured image credit: Isabel Martínez de Rituerto
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