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Government Announces Second Round of the Common Ground Award for England

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the second round of the Common Ground Award will open for applications on 14 September 2026.

The Common Ground Award aims to:

  • Identify and reward good practice in building social connections across and between different communities and people from different backgrounds.
  • Invest in the shared physical facilities, spaces and equipment that builds cohesion and resilience through enabling people from different backgrounds to come together.
  • Build a community of practice, for knowledge sharing across the voluntary and community sector and with government

Applicants must be directly working on at least one of the following core themes:

  • Encouraging and enabling social mixing, promoting understanding and reducing divisions between different communities and people from different backgrounds.
  • Reducing prejudice, discrimination and hatred directed toward individuals and communities because of their background.
  • Resolving conflict and addressing tensions across and between communities.

MHCLG is providing more money this year, with up to £2.5 million for the 2026-27 financial year with grant payments of between:

  • £20,000 and £50,000 for an individual organisation.
  • £100,000 and £250,000 for a consortium.

Individual applicants can set out how capital investment could be scaled up to a maximum of £100,000, which may be considered in exceptional cases.

The capital grants can be used to support new builds, refurbishment, and expansion of facilities used to build connections across and between different communities. Funding can also cover essential equipment, such as laptops or furniture for the property.

VCSE  organisations with a base and operating in England, with charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes may apply either as an individual organisation or as a consortium. Applicants must have an annual turnover or income below £5 million.

The prospectus for round two is available now on GOV.UK website.  

A webinar will be held on 10 September 2026 (12:30 to 13:15).  Registration via the GOV.UK website.

Applications open 14 September 2026 and close  12 October 2026.

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What's included?

You will receive a VAC Member welcome pack with useful information on getting the most out of your membership and a few extra treats!

Every member of VAC will be invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has voting rights for resolutions and proposals either in person or by proxy.

When you sign up to be a VAC Member, you will be assigned a Go-To Contact from the VAC team.

They will be your main point of contact for your membership, helping to answer questions and signposting you to the right place within VAC and/or our partnerships.

We want the VAC membership offer to be responsive to the needs of our members.  Member check ins keep us up to date on your organisation’s news and developments but also on any challenges or support gaps that may be affecting the VCSE sector. 

The information we receive during our member check ins will highlight trends and challenges that we can then explore support and solutions for via our membership offer and partnerships with local providers and authorities.

To support VAC members to feel connected and informed, we have created a unique Member Area on the VAC Website.

The online dashboard will keep you and your colleagues up to date on the latest member opportunities, training and news.

The Member Area also has a forum function, allowing VAC Member organisations to interact and support each other.

A quarterly newsletter to keep our members up to date on not only VAC Membership updates and opportunities but also specifically created content on topics of interest to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. 

The Bimonthly Member Network is for VAC Members to connect with other VAC Members!

A perfect opportunity to support one another, find out about other local services and explore new collaborative opportunities and partnerships with fellow VAC members.

20% Discount on VAC Room Hire – We offer a range of flexible rooms for hire located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Our rooms include a fully equipped, large training room with SMART board and flipchart facilities seating up to 25 theatre style, two smaller meeting rooms seating up to 12 and a small office with computer facilities suitable for one-to-one meetings or rent-a-desk.

Competitive rate on ID Badge Printing – Competitively priced to accommodate for smaller orders, our in-house ID Badge service supports both design and printing.

Based on feedback and insight we gain from our members, our training and events offer will complement local infrastructure support training programmes.

All sessions are cost effective and VCSE sector driven.