2026-27 Common Ground Award

The Common Ground Award will shine a spotlight on organisations across England that are making a real difference by bringing communities together.

Through the Common Ground Award, MHCLG will provide direct capital investment into voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, that are building social connections across and between different communities.

This investment will support the cost of constructing or renovating facilities, spaces or the purchasing of equipment to help deliver services that build community cohesion and resilience.

The aims of the Common Ground Award are to:

• Identify and reward good practice in building stronger connections between and across communities and promoting social cohesion and resilience
• Invest in the physical spaces and equipment that enables good practice 
• Build a community of practice, for knowledge sharing across the voluntary and community sector and with government

Applicants will be assessed based on how their objectives and activities seek to build social connections across and between different communities.

To be eligible for the Common Ground Award, organisations and consortiums applying to this grant scheme must therefore directly work on at least one of the following core themes: 

• Encouraging and enabling social mixing, promoting understanding and reducing divisions between different communities and people from different backgrounds
• Reducing prejudice, discrimination and hatred directed toward individuals and communities because of their background
• Resolving conflict and addressing tensions across and between communities

For the 2026-27 Common Ground Award, MHCLG will accept applications from both individual organisations and from consortiums.

Individual applicants can apply for a grant between £20,000 and £50,000. Individual applicants can set out how capital investment could be scaled up to a maximum of £100,000, which may be considered in exceptional cases - where there is clear evidence of need, with both significant expected impacts and high likelihood to deliver, supported by an exceptional application.

When an application is made by a consortium, the consortium can apply for a grant between £100,000 and £250,000.

The Common Ground Award will be open to applications from 14 September 2026 to 12 October 2026.

Common Ground Award Prospectus 

Common Ground Award 26-27 – Applicant Information webinar 
10th September, 12.30pm-1.15pm, Online 
The webinar will provide applicants with an overview of this year’s Common Ground Award, including key elements from the prospectus, scoring framework and application form. Participants can submit questions in advance, with responses provided to the most frequently raised themes during the session. If potential applicants are unable to join us on this date, or are on the waiting list, a link to a recording of the webinar and an updated FAQs document will be sent to all who register. 
Register here