Community Action Northumberland (CAN), the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) and the Rural Design Centre (RDC) are developing a new pilot capacity building programme for rural community organisations in Northumberland.
The programme has been commissioned by the Royal Countryside Fund who want to build understanding of the needs of these organisations and reach as many groups and rural communities as possible across Northumberland. Organisations who take part in the pilot programme will be supported to address challenges they face in applying for funding, and to develop new ideas into specific, fundable initiatives.
In the first phase of the programme we are looking to map the full landscape of rural community organisations in Northumberland, from very small local groups to larger organisations who might operate across several parts of the county. Some of this mapping will be desktop research, but it’s really important we also hear direct from rural community groups and organisations about their experiences and how the next stages of the programme could help. We’re keen to reach groups and organisations that are less visible and may miss out on funding as a result, to make sure their views are included.
To have your say, please complete this short survey to tell us a bit about your organisation and the types of capacity-building support that would make the biggest difference for you and your community. Survey deadline: Monday 21 July 2025. Please also share the survey link through your networks.
Delivery of the pilot capacity building programme will start in August 2025, working with around 6 communities in rural Northumberland initially. This survey will help us identify organisations who could benefit from taking part. Please leave your contact details in the survey if you’d like to be kept updated.
For further information about this project, please contact nicre@newcastle.ac.uk.
