Useful links

Big Lottery Fund

The largest distributor of National Lottery funds.

Community Foundation Network (CFN)

Links, promotes and supports over 60 community foundations throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Community Matters

Nationwide federation for community associations and similar organisations, with 1100 member organisations across the UK.

Community Planning Website

Aims to help residents get involved with professionals in shaping their local environment.

Community Transport Association

A UK-wide member organisation that promotes excellence in community transport.

Crime Concern

A national crime reduction organisation and registered charity. Provides advice and help to a wide range of professional and voluntary agencies.

Crime Reduction Website

Provides information and resources for people working to reduce crime in their neighbourhoods.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Development Trusts Association

The national representative body for development trusts.

do-it

Database of volunteering opportunities in the UK. Do-it is part of the registered charity YouthNet UK.

Directory for Social Entrepreneurial Organisations

A databank for, by and about social entrepreneurs in England.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Research funding and training agency addressing economic and social concerns.

Education Action Zone

Government programme to tackle a range of problems including low educational achievement, truancy, exclusion and youth crime in deprived urban areas.

Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens

The representative body for city farms, community gardens and similar community-led organisations in the UK. 

f3

Provides specialist research and consultancy services to organisations and enterprises involved in local and sustainable food initiatives.

Foyer Federation

Foyers provide accommodation with opportunity for young people, and a health-promoting community in which they can grow and thrive.

Free Form

Provides a range of arts and creative services for the built environment, to place art at the heart of urban regeneration.

Green-Works

A charity and social enterprise providing schools and community groups with redundant office equipment.

Groundswell UK

A national charity that supports a network of people and projects committed to inclusive approaches to tackling homelessness, poverty and exclusion.

Housing Corporation

Responsible for investing public money in housing associations - and for protecting that investment and ensuring it provides decent homes and services for residents.

Housingnet

Information resource on social housing in the UK.

Human City Institute

Think tank investigating social and economic exclusion.

Inter Faith Network

Works to build good relations between the communities of all the major faiths in Britain: Baha'i; Buddhist; Christian; Hindu; Jain; Jewish; Muslim; Sikh; and Zoroastrian.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest independent social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports a wide programme of projects in housing, social care and social policy.

King's Fund

The King's Fund is an independent charitable foundation whose goal is to improve health, especially in London.

Learning and Skills Council (LSC)

Responsible for funding and planning education and training for over-16-year-olds in England.

Learning and Skills Network

LSN is a not-for-profit organisation offering services to policy-makers, practitioners and organisations funding, managing and providing education. Programmes previously delivered by Learning and Skills Development Agency and continuing beyond April 2006 are being delivered by LSN.

learndirect

Government-sponsored network of online flexible learning and information services.

Local Exchange Trading Systems

LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes - are local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money.

Local Investment Fund

Set up in 1995 by the government and the private sector, led by NatWest, with the aim of overcoming the funding gap often experienced by social enterprises.

Local Initiatives against Social Exclusion

A database of more than 700 social exclusion projects across Europe.

Local Futures Group

A research and strategy consultancy providing a geographical perspective on economic and social change.

London Voluntary Service Council

LVSC strengthens voluntary organisations by providing services and a strong voice on policy issues that affect Londoners.

Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation

MDRC is a US nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy research organization.

Volunteering England

Volunteering England works to promote volunteering as a powerful force for change, both for those who volunteer and for the wider community.

National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS)

The national evaluation is funded by the Sure Start Unit. The evaluation will study the effectiveness of all Sure Start Programmes in England (524 programmes) and will last for six years.  

National Federation of Enterprise Agencies

The National Federation of Enterprise Agencies is the membership body for Local Enterprise Agencies in England.

Homeless Link

National membership organisation for frontline homelessness agencies.

National Tenants Resource Centre

The National Tenants Resource Centre, a registered charity,  offers training and support to people living and working in disadvantaged communities in the UK.

Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation

National charity specialising in community participation, training and development. Works with local authorities, housing associations, voluntary agencies and community groups.

New Deal

New Deal is a key part of the government's strategy to get people back to work. It gives people on benefits the help and support they need to look for work, including training and job preparation.

Ourpartnership.org.uk

Ourpartnership.org.uk is a Cabinet Office project developed in partnership with NCVO, to help voluntary and public sector organisations to work well together.

Partnership, Funding & Support for Enterprise Development in the Social Economy

A project aims to identify and compare the EU and domestic funding programmes in different member states used by local economic development workers for the benefit of the social economy.

PEP

PEP is a national, not-for-profit company working with statutory and voluntary agencies and local communities, to improve services and make sure they meet the needs of local people.

Platinumlinks Limited

Provides links between public, private and voluntary sectors to enable business to flourish.

Playing for Success

The Department for Education and Skills Playing for Success initiative is establishing out of school hours study support centres at football clubs and other sports' grounds. 

Policy Research Institute

The Policy Research Institute is one of the UK's leading university-based centres for applied economic and social research.

Prince's Trust

UK charity that helps young people overcome barriers and get their lives working.

Regenerate

Community renewal consultants.

RuralNet

Online network for rural communities.