Local Trust

Name

Local Trust

Legal name

Local Trust

Website

https://localtrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Local Trust is a UK place-based charitable funder, established in 2012 to deliver the Big Local programme by distributing £1m each to 150 communities across England from 2011 to 2026, ahead of its planned closure in early 2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Community Development Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Place-based funding
• Community development grants
• Resident-led programmes
• Community empowerment funding
• Neighbourhood renewal grants

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Local Trust operates as a place-based charitable funder that delivered the Big Local programme from 2011 to 2026, distributing £1m each to 150 communities across England for resident-led community development. The organisation provides long-term flexible grant funding, learning and events, legacy support through Beacon Areas, health inequalities programmes, the Community Leadership Academy, and research outputs including the Community Needs Index. Operating as a grant-making charity rather than a transactional entity, Local Trust uses locally trusted organisations to channel funding directly to resident-led partnerships in doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Product overview

Local Trust is a place-based funder that operates primarily as a charitable organisation rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is the Big Local programme, which distributed £1m to each of 150 communities across England for resident-led change from 2011 to 2026. Supporting programmes include the Beacon Areas (legacy support), Health Inequalities Programme, Community Leadership Academy, and Creative Civic Change. Learning from Big Local is a resource platform capturing programme insights. The Community Needs Index (CNI) is a research tool identifying disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The Empowered Communities research initiative provides evidence and insights on community empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Local: A resident-led community funding programme that provided £1m to each of 150 communities across England from 2011-2026
• Learning from Big Local
• Community Leadership Academy
• Star People
• Creative Civic Change
• Beacon Areas
• Health Inequalities
• Community Needs Index (CNI)

Products and services

• Big Local Programme A resident-led community funding initiative that provided £1m to each of 150 communities across England to drive lasting change in their neighbourhoods, running from 2011 to 2026. For community organisations and resident-led partnerships in doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
• Beacon Areas Supporting connections between community organisations that are continuing resident-led action beyond the Big Local programme, sustaining legacy impact in former Big Local areas.
• Health Inequalities Programme Supporting community-led health and wellbeing approaches to tackle health inequalities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
• Learning and Events Community development learning programmes and events including training, networking, and opportunities to build skills and make connections for community organisations and residents.
• Creative Civic Change A programme exploring the role of creativity and arts in community-led change, including projects examining race, community leadership, and co-creation in Big Local areas.
• Community Leadership Academy A programme created by Local Trust in partnership with Koreo, The Young Foundation and Northern Soul to support volunteers in Big Local communities to develop leadership skills.
• Learning from Big Local A resource website that captures 15 years of learning from the Big Local programme, including reports, guidance, and case studies for community-led change, targeted at policymakers, funders and communities.
• Community Needs Index (CNI) A research tool developed by Local Trust that maps social infrastructure in England to identify 'left behind' neighbourhoods that lack places to meet, community engagement, and connectivity.
• Star People A programme delivered in partnership with UnLtd to support social entrepreneurs in Big Local areas, providing funding and support that has created 3,700 local jobs and volunteering opportunities and developed 292 social leaders.
• Empowered Communities An 18-month research project exploring what needs to happen for communities to feel and be more powerful, conducted in partnership with IVAR to produce evidence including 'Building on Assets' and 'The Future for Communities: Perspectives on power'.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120 legacy organisations established to continue community work beyond the programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KoreocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in creating the Community Leadership Academy, launched in 2020 to support volunteers in Big Local communities to develop leadership skills. Academy created in partnership with Koreo, The Young Foundation and Northern Soul.
• The Young FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in creating the Community Leadership Academy, launched in 2020 to support volunteers in Big Local communities to develop leadership skills.
• Northern SoulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in creating the Community Leadership Academy, launched in 2020 to support volunteers in Big Local communities to develop leadership skills.
• UnLtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership with UnLtd to deliver the Star People programme, finding social entrepreneurs in Big Local areas and offering funding and support. Over £3 million invested in more than 1,000 awards to social entrepreneurs across 133 Big Local areas. Developed nearly 300 social leaders and created 3,700 local jobs and volunteering opportunities.
• Bristol Energy CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Lawrence Weston Big Local to develop a community-owned solar energy farm. This investment opportunity allowed the community to participate in renewable energy while building social capital and community resilience.
• IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on research exploring community climate action and the role of communities in responding to climate change. Report 'The climate commons: How communities can thrive in a climate changing world' articulates the opportunity for community power in climate action.
• IVAR (Institute for Voluntary Action Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Empowered Communities project, conducting literature reviews and qualitative research on community empowerment. Produced reports including 'Building on Assets' and 'The Future for Communities: Perspectives on power'.
• Cross Keys HomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing provider and locally trusted organisation for WestRaven Big Local in Peterborough. Provided the building for community café, organised change of use, and supported with tendering and finding suppliers.
• HMP PeterboroughminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrison within the WestRaven Big Local area provided prisoners released on temporary licence (ROTL) for construction work and volunteering. Governor offered first year's rent of £10,000 for community café.
• Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaking on lease of community space for 2 years, employing café manager and supporting development of energy saving initiatives, cooking projects, and bicycle-powered cinema.
• Shared AssetsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership announced to support Big Local communities to own and manage land. Joint initiative to help communities understand and pursue community asset transfer opportunities.
• Cultivate LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning urban farm and social enterprise providing horticultural training to Hanwell Big Local. Training apprentices funded by Big Local in woodland development and orchard management.
• Groundwork North YorkshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocally trusted organisation for Barrowcliff Big Local, key partner in developing and refurbishing community play park with support from Scarborough Borough Council and Yorkshire Coast Homes.
• Community Wealth Fund AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Trust is a founding member and provides secretariat to the alliance of nearly 400 organisations advocating for £2bn of dormant assets to be invested in left behind neighbourhoods. Includes charities, funders, and 30 combined and local authorities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The National Lottery Community Fund: The largest community funder in the UK and founding funder of both Local Trust and the Big Local programme. Overlaps in mission and geography but operates a much broader portfolio and is not place-based at the resident-partnership level.
• UK Community Foundations: UK-wide network of 47 accredited community foundations distributing place-based grants in disadvantaged areas. Overlaps with Local Trust's community-foundations category but operates as a membership/aggregator rather than single-funder resident partnership model.
• Garfield Weston Foundation: Major UK grant-making foundation supporting communities, welfare, and education with multi-year unrestricted grants — comparable funder profile serving similar community organisations but a broader thematic remit.

Direct peers

• Tudor Trust: UK charitable trust providing unrestricted, multi-year grants to small community organisations in under-resourced areas — closely aligned funding model and beneficiary profile to Big Local.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: UK grant-making foundation supporting communities, the environment, and social change through long-term flexible funding and research — highly comparable funding philosophy and beneficiary focus.
• Power to Change: UK place-based funder established in 2015 to support community businesses in left-behind neighbourhoods. Directly comparable in mission, resident-led model, and reliance on long-term lottery/dormant capital.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation / JRF: Large UK charitable foundation focused on poverty and place-based disadvantage, with research, advocacy, and grantmaking arms — operationally similar mix of evidence-led grantmaking to deprived neighbourhoods.

Emerging players

• Shared Assets: UK charity focused on community asset ownership and land-based community enterprises. Listed partner of Local Trust for community land transfer work in Big Local areas and operates in the same resident-led infrastructure space.
• The Young Foundation: UK social innovation and research charity and a documented Local Trust partner (Community Leadership Academy). Comparable in combining place-based research, programme design, and capacity-building for communities.
• Nesta: UK innovation foundation backing place-based and community-led innovation projects via grants and research. Comparable mix of evidence-building, partnerships, and grantmaking to community-focused missions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrdhBthz7CAsE3HUihMJK9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/local-trust-121961767913644
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-trust
• Xx.com/localtrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Local Trust