Summerfield Community Chest
Between 2023-2026 Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance worked in partnership with The Summerfield Charitable Trust to take forward a pioneering investment strategy. Our shared intention was to empower communities by moving decision-making about grant funding closer to where money is spent.
On these pages we celebrate the amazing individuals, communities and organisations that contributed to this process and share the successes, strains and mistakes along the way. We also describe how and where the funding is now being spent.
Investment themes
We worked with local VCSE sector groups, organisations and communities to develop five investment proposals based on these core themes:
VCSE Infrastructure was originally included as a separate investment theme. In practice, an infrastructure proposal was not developed and funding to meet infrastructure costs was included in each delivery project.
You can read more about the investment themes here:
Find out about the process
The Summerfield Community Chest was an ambitious attempt to distribute a local charitable endowment in a more strategic, collaborative and participatory way.
Between 2024 and 2026, Summerfield Charitable Trust worked with Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance, a task group drawn from the local VCSE sector and a wide range of community partners to commit £6.35 million to five major areas of work across Gloucestershire.
This learning report, written by independent learning partner Jamie Pett, reflects honestly on the approach: what it made possible, where it came under pressure and what funders, trustees and infrastructure organisations can learn from the experience. It explores the opportunities and challenges involved in sharing power, funding through relationships and supporting collaboration at scale.
The report is not an evaluation of the funded projects, many of which are only beginning. Instead, it captures the learning from designing and delivering the Community Chest and offers practical insights for anyone interested in more relational, participatory and locally informed approaches to funding.
Download the report to explore the Community Chest journey, the projects supported and six key lessons for future funding practice.
Read the blogs
Children and Families
Project name: Family Hubs Catalyst Programme
The project aim: To create more equitable access to children and family services.
The project idea:
To employ local Neighbourhood Connectors who foster connections between people, activities, and services, enabling communities to work together to provide the support and opportunities that matter most to local residents.
Areas covered:
Cheltenham
Forest of Dean
Gloucester
Tewkesbury
Organisations involved:
· Art Shape
· Aspire Foundation
· Fair Shares
· Forest Voluntary Action Forum
· Fresh Hope CIC
· Gloucester Community Building Collective
· Move More
· The Venture Community Hub
· Gloucestershire Gateway Trust
Investment amount:
over 5 years
Images from the Family Hubs Catalyst Programme
Photos taken at Hilltop Children and Family Centre. Photo credit: Thousand Word Media.
Arts and Culture
Project name: That’s an Idea!
The project aim: To embed arts and culture into everyday life and create lasting cultural capacity.
The project idea:
A countywide cultural infrastructure programme that shifts cultural power, resources and decision-making into the hands of communities.
Areas covered:
Cheltenham
Cotswold
Forest of Dean
Gloucester
Stroud
Tewkesbury
Gloucester Culture Trust
Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium which includes:
Artlift
The Music Works
Art Shape
Mindsong
Play Gloucestershire
Cinderford Artspace
Organisations involved:
Investment amount:
over 3 years
Images from That’s an Idea!
Ageing Well
Project name: Age Friendly Cotswolds
The project aim: To create an inclusive, community-led and sustainable Age-Friendly Cotswold District that reflects the lived experiences and priorities of older people.
The project idea:
To become a World Health Organisation Age Friendly Community.
Areas covered:
Cotswold
Tetbury Area Youth & Community Trust
The Churn Project, Cirencester
Cotswold Friends, North Cotswold
Age UK Gloucestershire
Organisations involved:
Investment amount:
over 3 years
Images from Age Friendly Cotswolds
Connected Society
Project name: Building Connections: People, Place & Partnership
The project aim: To strengthen social connections in Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Stonehouse, Cam and Dursley by ensuring that every resident has somewhere to go, people to meet and a reason to participate.
The project idea:
In Cinderford and Mitcheldean: to create a network of community buildings that work towards becoming active hubs for social connection.
In Stonehouse, Cam and Dursley: to develop neighbourhood-level connection through community buddies, partnership builders and Welcome Here Teams.
Areas covered:
Cam and Dursley
Cinderford
Mitcheldean
Stonehouse
All Pulling Together
Forest Voluntary Action Forum
GL11 Community Hub
Organisations involved:
Investment amount:
over 3 years
Images from Connected Society
Nature and Climate
Project name: Gloucestershire Nature and Climate Fund
The project aim: To enable Gloucestershire communities to protect woodland and natural habitats.
The project idea:
To establish a fund that supports communities to act quickly when green spaces come up for sale, enabling them to buy or lease land for nature and community benefit.
Areas covered:
Cheltenham
Cotswold
Forest of Dean
Gloucester
Stroud
Tewkesbury
Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership: over 40 organisations working together on nature recovery
Organisations involved:
Investment amount:
Images from Nature and Climate
Any questions?
If you would like to talk to us about the Summerfield Community Chest Project, please e-mail info@glosalliance.org.uk