Building Bridges: Building Councils, Communities and Independent Funders into Dialogue

Civil society is composed of highly varied but distinct elements, which work together towards a common outcome: improving people’s lives. For this reason, a healthy civil society has always been critical to resilient communities. However, as cuts to local government budgets have altered local landscapes of service delivery – with many places now characterised by growing need and shrinking provision – the importance of civil society to securing the wellbeing of communities has dramatically increased.

This report looks at the role of two key players – independent funders who are at the core of civil society and local government – and argues they need to come into much closer dialogue. Each must see their role as enablers, based on a common language and common understanding of local needs and opportunities. Ultimately, this can ensure that the contributions of both local government and independent funders can become greater than the sum of their respective parts in supporting a healthy civil society.

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