We are proud to announce our role as learning and capacity-building partner on Where People Meet, a two-year, Rayne Trust-funded grants programme supporting community spaces.
This is a critical time to harness the power of community leadership, working with grantees across the UK that demonstrate exceptional vision, and have the potential to have influence beyond their local area. Projects span community-led neighbourhood health approaches, community asset development, social action, community power, and work to strengthen different types of social infrastructure. Collectively, they reflect the energy, creativity, and resilience of communities driving change across the country.
In this role, The Young Foundation will convene a community of practice, working to build strong relationships, share learning and challenges, and identify opportunities for collective impact. Drawing together insights and evidence, this programme aims to highlight the essential role of community spaces in leading change, influencing policy, philanthropy, and public understanding, and helping to secure long-term investment in community spaces and social infrastructure.
Our CEO, Dr Sue Griffiths, says:
“I am delighted that The Young Foundation is working with the Rayne Trust to celebrate the power of community leadership. Coming together with a diverse range of funded partners, Where People Meet will build a robust body of evidence on the value of community spaces in neighbourhoods across the UK. At this critical moment, the Rayne Trust are providing a vital opportunity to better-understand capacity-building needs and learn from holistic local responses to complex social challenges. I am incredibly proud to announce this partnership, which has huge potential to supporting meaningful, lasting change.”
Crispin Truman, Director of the Rayne Trust, concludes:
“A key objective for our Where People Meet programme is to learn together and to make the case for new and greater investment in community spaces. The Young Foundation, working with our brilliant funded partners, will bring the expertise we need to evaluate our work and pull out the evidence to support that goal.”
The first community of practice will convene in early July, bringing partners together to lay the foundations for collaborative learning and collective impact.
Credit: iStock.com/AmArtPhotography
Community leadership Places Posted on: 18 May 2026