£3m of new funding for Communities Innovation Fund

Communities Minister Lord Bourne has confirmed that 16 trailblazing projects across the country are set to receive £3 million of new funding.

Supporting innovative approaches to integration, the Communities Innovation Fund will engage 70,000 people with activities in schools, community and leisure centres, and in partnership with businesses, local authorities and housing associations.

From a community gardening project in south-west London that helps new migrants to practice their English language skills while learning how to cultivate land, to table tennis clubs to be run across three housing estates in Brighton, the investment will help drive forward projects to tackle the causes of poor integration.

The government will fund 14 projects across the country, while Sport England will fund two projects in Birmingham and Brighton.

Lord Bourne said: “Britain is on the whole a well-integrated society, but we know that too many people are still locked out of the benefits that come with full participation in society. To tackle the root causes of poor integration we need to bring together people from all backgrounds and from all parts of society, from business leaders to grassroots charities. That is why we have partnered with Sport England to fund 16 trailblazing projects that seek to bridge divides and bring communities together in bold and innovative ways.”