Reaching Communities Guide 2026: Budget, Evidence and Template

A community project needs more than a list of sessions. Explain who has shaped the work, what will change for people and how the organisation can deliver it over time. Then build a budget that pays for that actual plan.

This guide is for Reaching Communities England, not Awards for All or the National Lottery programmes in other UK nations. It is independent preparation advice, not an official application form or a promise of eligibility.

Get the free planning worksheet

Download editable text (.txt) or open the print-friendly version. Save the file and edit it directly or paste into Word. No email or account required. The worksheet does not calculate totals.

Use it to collect community input, delivery responsibilities, yearly costs, funding status and evidence. Keep completed files private; avoid unnecessary identifiable accounts of vulnerable people's experiences.

Check the route and stage first

The official programme page, checked on 25 October 2026, describes grants from £20,001 for projects lasting up to five years. It asks organisations seeking more than £500,000 to contact the funder. Your work must support a programme mission and address the current priorities; an arts activity is not automatically a fit.

The application process has an initial outline and an invited second stage. The funder currently says most applications take around 40 weeks overall. Check timings again before choosing a start date. An invitation is not an award.

Show what community involvement changed

“We consulted residents” leaves the reader guessing. Record who contributed, when, what they said and what changed. Keep participation voluntary and obtain appropriate permission for quotations.

| Question | Evidence to gather | A possible decision | | --- | --- | --- | | Who cannot attend existing provision? | Discussion with people not currently using it | Change the venue or session time | | What do people want control over? | Notes from a planning group | Give participants a defined decision-making role | | What support already exists? | Conversations with local providers | Agree referrals instead of duplicating a service | | How will you know it helps? | A few agreed feedback questions | Review delivery with participants |

These are examples, not evidence to copy into your application. If a group has not yet been involved, say so and arrange a meaningful way for them to influence the plan.

A worked three-year budget

Imagine an established community organisation planning an advice-and-activities programme. This fictional example illustrates arithmetic only. Rates, eligible costs and the requested contribution need checking for your project.

| Cash expenditure | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Delivery staff, including relevant employer costs | £40,000 | £42,000 | £44,100 | £126,100 | | Venue and materials | £8,000 | £8,400 | £8,820 | £25,220 | | Access and participant support | £5,000 | £5,000 | £5,000 | £15,000 | | Monitoring and evaluation | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £6,000 | | Shared organisational costs, subject to eligibility | £5,000 | £5,250 | £5,513 | £15,763 | | Total | £60,000 | £62,650 | £65,433 | £188,083 |

The changing lines use an illustrative 5% annual assumption, rounded to whole pounds. That is not a funder allowance or an inflation forecast. Use quotes, staffing plans and an explained basis for increases. Flat lines need a reason too: do not assume access provision will cost the same for three years.

If £18,000 of other cash income were genuinely confirmed and available for these costs, the remainder would be £170,083. This is not a recommended request or a required match-funding percentage. Identify when each source arrives and whether it can pay for the relevant costs.

Make shared costs and timing explainable

Keep the annual organisational budget beside the project budget. If you allocate finance-worker time or office costs, explain the basis and check current programme rules. Do not charge the same cost twice. A tidy project total can conceal an organisation-wide funding gap.

Monthly salaries cannot wait for an uncertain future grant. Prepare a realistic response to delay or a smaller award, without presenting unfunded work as guaranteed.

Prepare for the next conversation

Keep supporting information organised, but answer the questions for your actual stage. The current application guidance distinguishes the outline from later budget, organisational and financial detail. Check any safeguarding, land or building requirements directly with the funder where relevant.

For personal help, Matt's Reaching Communities support can help organise the proposal. For independent preparation, compare the heritage guide and other free templates. None replaces the funder's assessment.