New Economy Programme

We’re working with the Friends Provident Foundation, an independent charity that makes grants and uses its endowment towards a fair and sustainable economic system, to offer 15 fully funded places on our New Economy Programme.

Have any training needs? Take a look at our programme of one-day workshops in Newcastle, Bradford, Plymouth, Bristol, and London, select a workshop, and tell us why it will benefit your project or initiative.

• You are working in ‘local economic resilience’ or ‘systems change’
• You are a charity, social enterprise, co-operative, or community business.

Friends Provident Foundation

Friends Provident Foundation is an independent charity that makes grants and uses its endowment towards a fair and sustainable economic system that serves society. We connect, fund, invest and share learning to shape an economy that works for all.

Are you a co-operatively minded person with an idea to transform the local economy? Find out more about how to apply below.

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• You are planning to set up or are running a Co-operative.  

• You are located in West Yorkshire

Who are Suma?

We, at Suma Wholefoods, are a worker cooperative based in Elland, West Yorkshire. We are a non-hierarchical company with an equal pay policy, who support local communities and cooperatives whenever possible. We’re delighted to be offering funding for local people to be involved in the Stir to Action’s New Economy Programme, with the hope that it will lead to more successful local co-operatives in West Yorkshire. 

We're working Power to Change again to offer 20 fully-funded workshop places on Stir to Action's New Economy Programme!

So if you’re involved in or inspiring to establish a new community business, take a look at our year-long programme, choose a workshop, and tell us how it will benefit your local community.

• you are involved in or inspiring to establish a new community business
• you will write and share a blog about their experience to publish on stirtoaction.com and powertochange.co.uk
  

What is community business? 

Locally rooted

‍They are rooted in a particular geographical place and respond to its needs. For example, that could be high levels of urban deprivation or rural isolation.

Trading for the benefit of the local community

‍They are businesses. Their income comes from things like renting out space in their buildings, trading as cafes, selling produce they grow or generating energy.

Accountable to the local community‍

They are accountable to local people, for example through a community shares offer that creates members who have a voice in the business’s direction.

Broad community impact‍

They benefit and impact their local community as a whole. They often morph into the hub of a neighbourhood, where all types of local groups gather, for example to access broadband or get training in vital life skills.

Click here to find out more.

Place-based funder Local Trust  believe there is a need to put more power, resources and decision-making into the hands of local communities, to enable them to transform and improve their lives and the places in which they live.

We’re working with Local Trust to offer 15 fully-funded places on our New Economy Programme, 35 training workshops in five cities from October 2019 to July 2020. 

Are you a member of a Big Local community with an exciting idea or existing project that needs support? Take a look at the programme, select a workshop, check eligibility, and apply below.

• You are a partnership member of a Big Local group
• You can outline a particular challenge and a workshop on the programme that can support your project.
• Your big local area has already been allocated a Stir to Action sponsored ticket.

We’re working with Bradford Council to offer 20 fully-funded places on Stir to Action’s New Economy Programme, part of a national training programme supporting communities to transform their local area through democratic ownership.

We think that young people (18-30) have an important role to play in their local economy, so if you have an idea that could benefit Bradford or already running a community enterprise or project that needs some support, take a look at eligibility and apply below.

• You are a Bradford resident.
• You are 18-30 years old at the point of application.
• You are involved in a community enterprise or project.
• You can outline how a particular challenge could be overcome through a workshop on the programme.

About Bradford City Council

We are the youngest city in the UK and our young people have incredible energy and raw talent and when combined with the entrepreneurial spirit in Bradford and our strong communities this creates a real opportunity for the local economy and the District. We want Bradford’s young people to have brilliant opportunities to connect with the local economy and their local communities and programmes such as New Economy can be an excellent way of delivering this.

High streets lie at the heart of communities but are under increasing pressure as more people choose to shop online. At the same time, communities are reimagining and regenerating local places by turning disused or underused buildings into creative spaces, offices, retail outlets, and housing.
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Stir to Action are working with Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) to offer 30 fully-funded places on High Streets: Agents for Economic Change workshop in Bristol (13 Nov 2019), Bradford (19 February 2020), and Plymouth (22 April 2020), as part of AHF’s £15 million Transforming Places through Heritage programme to breathe new life into historic high streets and town centres across England.
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Are you a charity or social enterprise with an idea for bringing a heritage building into a new sustainable use for community benefit? Find out more about how to apply below.

• Your project involves a heritage building located in a high street or town centre in England.
• This location is the focus of a wider strategy or initiative which aims to revitalise the high street or town centre.
• Your project is a place-based initiative.
• You are a charity or social enterprise (a not-for-private-profit organisation).

Are you part of an enterprise or project using agroecology or permaculture models for food, farming, or forestry? Interested in new training opportunities to take it to the next stage? We've partnered with the ethical cosmetic retailer Lush to offer 20 fully funded places on Stir to Action’s New Economy Programme in Newcastle, Bradford, London, Bristol, and Plymouth.

• You are involved in a project or enterprise that uses permaculture or agroecological approaches.
• You can outline how a workshop on the New Economy Programme will benefit the development of your enterprise or project.

Travel Fund

If you live rurally and require support to travel to a workshop, we have a £500 travel expenses fund. After applying, email your request to workshops@stirtoaction.com.

What’s Agroecology?

Agroecology is an approach to agriculture and to meeting people’s need for food which gives particular attention not only to the important goal of productivity but also and equally to the goals of sustainability, resilience, and equity.

What's Permaculture?

Permaculture is a design science grounded in natural patterns and rhythms. Permaculture provides a set of ethics and principles which allows designers to create or participate in systems, whether that’s social systems or ecosystems, in a way which “works with nature, not against nature.”

‍Who are Lush?‍

Lush invent, manufacture, and retail fresh handmade cosmetics. A beauty company with a campaigning heart, Lush operates a strict policy against animal testing and lead the cosmetics industry in combating over-packaging by developing products that can be sold ‘naked’ to the consumer.

As part of the New Economy Programme’s expansion to Plymouth, Bradford, and Newcastle, we’re offering 15 fully-funded places on the programme in Bradford, Newcastle, and Plymouth.

• You are planning to set up or are running a co-operative or community business.
• It is a place-based initiative in Newcastle, Bradford, or Plymouth.
• You can outline a particular challenge or issue that the workshop training can support.