Creative, Confident Communities

Community driven enterprise and regeneration

Tremayne Hall

We believe local economies work better when local people have a stronger stake in how they operate.

Models of economic development which are led by or owned by the community are more responsive to local needs, build resilience and positively contribute to economic equity, nature recovery and social inclusion in a place.

What we want to achieve

We're working towards three long-term outcomes:

  1. An increase in community owned assets and community wealth-building models drives greater reinvestment in local economies, reducing economic inequality.
  2. Community-led enterprises are a proven and widely adopted model that underpin fairer local economies.
  3. Community-led approaches to the local economy positively contribute to nature and climate

If you are interested in applying for funding under this priority, please see our guidance for support.

Nudge Community Builders-Plymouth Parkour at the Street Party (Hanna Collins)

Latest grants

See all our grants towards our Community driven enterprise and regeneration funding priority.

Find out more
Unlocking change

Stories

Latest

You might be interested in

  • Visualisation of the entrance to the Migration Museum's new permanent home. Credit: Unknown Works
    20 May 2026

    Migration Museum: building a new museum with community at its heart

    Migration Museum share how they developed a People’s Panel to embed local voices directly into the creation of their new, permanent home.

    Read more
  • Anti Racist Cumbria-Saturday Pitch Pic 1.jpg

    Supporting place-based and community-led racial justice

    In this blog, Gillian Goode, a Funding Manager in Esmée’s Creative, Confident Communities team, reflects on ‘place’ within racial justice.

    Read more
  • Illustration showing a lake with a few people doing citizen science to monitor the freshwater quality

    Blue Spaces: Working in partnership to improve local freshwaters in the UK

    The Blue Spaces programme set out to support people and organisations to take imaginative approaches to looking after their freshwater environments. Read our report, which shares the collective learning of everyone involved – from the funding process to the different approaches of the 19 funded projects, and the learning programme co-designed with them.

    Read more
  • Members of the Involving Young People Collective having a meal during a Blue Spaces site visit.

    Blue Spaces: Reflections on youth leadership, trust and place-based funding

    Thalia Papanicolaou from HUDL Youth Development Agency shares her insights into how the Blue Spaces programme unfolded - and why this way of working with young people created such meaningful change.

    Read more