Following the Prime Minister's and Minister for Sport and Civil Society's announcement to unlock £20m funding to tackle loneliness (as a part of Government's wider endorsement of the Jo Cox Commission recommendations) , a new £11.5 million Building Connections Fund has been set up to support projects that are able to prevent or reduce loneliness.
The fund is a partnership between Government, Big Lottery Fund and the Co-op Foundation and aims to:
- increase social connections, helping people form strong and meaningful relationships and creating a sense of community and belonging, and helping people feel more connected
- support organisations to build on their existing work, eg by reaching more people, or working in a new area or with a different method or group of people
- encourage organisations to join up with others locally
- improve the evidence base and use learning to inform longer term policy and funding decisions
More details, including how to apply, can be found on the Big Lottery Fund website.