We work to put power, resources and decision-making into the hands of local people, enabling communities to shape their own futures and improve the places where they live.
We believe that when residents are trusted with long-term funding and the freedom to decide what matters locally, they create stronger, more resilient and more connected communities.
What we do
Our work demonstrates and champions the value of long-term, resident-led and place-based funding.
We do this by:
- Supporting community-led organisations and partnerships to build on the legacy of Big Local
- Sharing learning, evidence and practical insights from 15 years of community-led funding
- Influencing policymakers, funders and practitioners to adopt more effective, community-led approaches
- Supporting the development of new programmes and partnerships that strengthen neighbourhoods and civil society
Our work brings together research, practice and lived experience to help shape the future of community development and neighbourhood funding.
Big Local: a unique national programme
Big Local was a £217m investment in 150 communities across England, each receiving at least £1m to spend over 10–15 years.
Launched in 2011 and concluding in March 2026, it was the largest-ever investment by a non-state funder in resident-led, place-based change.
What made Big Local different was simple and powerful: local people were trusted to make the decisions.
The impact of Big Local
Over the course of fifteen years:
- People gained new skills and confidence, with 84 per cent of Big Local Partnership members confirming they’d learned new things from people in their Big Local area)
- Neighbours stepped into leadership roles – many for the very first time, with a quarter of those who joined Big Local partnerships volunteering for the first time
- People felt more connected to where they live and more capable of shaping change, with 8 in 10 participants stating they’re now proud to be from their area
- Hundreds of community spaces were created for residents to come together
- Communities created opportunities close to home, with 61 per cent of areas choosing to run skills and employment initiatives
- Communities are stronger, safer, and more resilient. (With notable reductions in crime and antisocial behaviour, which fell 49 per cent more in Big Local areas
- Volunteering hasn’t faded – it’s grown. 76 per cent of Big Local volunteers plan to continue volunteering.
Big Local has shown that when communities are given the tools, time and trust they need, they can transform their areas in meaningful and lasting ways, creating pride in place.
A lasting legacy
Although the Big Local programme has now formally ended, its impact continues to grow.
Across England, more than 100 community-led legacy organisations are continuing the work started through Big Local, strengthening local networks, supporting residents and driving change in their areas.
The programme has also generated one of the richest bodies of evidence on community-led development, neighbourhood funding and place-based approaches in the UK. Accessible here, Learning from Big Local brings together an overview of research, learning and stories from right across the 15-year programme.
Our role now
As Local Trust moves towards its planned closure in early 2027, our focus is on ensuring that the learning and impact of Big Local continues to influence the future.
We are:
- Sharing insights and evidence to inform policy and funding
- Supporting partnerships and networks that build on Big Local’s legacy
- Delivering learning programmes and collaborations with funders and practitioners
- Championing community-led approaches to neighbourhood development.
Our aim is to ensure that what has been learned through Big Local continues to shape how communities are supported for years to come.
Our approach
At the heart of our work is a belief that:
- Communities understand their own needs best
- Long-term, flexible funding enables lasting change
- Trust leads to stronger outcomes than control
- Local relationships and networks are key to sustainable impact.
You can read more about our approach in our Local Trust strategy 2026/27 document.
Our history
Local Trust was established in 2011 to deliver Big Local, a National Lottery Community Fund programme. Big Local was a bold experiment: 150 communities were each entrusted with £1m in long-term, flexible funding, making it the largest single-purpose National Lottery endowment ever awarded.
From the outset, Big Local was designed to be different, putting decision-making power directly into the hands of residents and taking a long-term approach to neighbourhood change.
In terms of scale, ambition and ethos, it remains one of the most significant experiments in community-led funding ever undertaken in England.