Solihull Council has appointed the Heart of England Community Foundation as its grant-making partner following an open market engagement exercise.
The appointment formalises a partnership that has been in place for the past five years, during which the Foundation has worked with the council to distribute funding and support community projects across the borough.
The Foundation has overseen a number of programmes designed to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, helping deliver funding to projects focused on health, wellbeing, community resilience and local infrastructure.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation administered the Solihull Winter Wellbeing and Recovery Fund, distributing £200,000 to organisations supporting residents affected by issues including food poverty, isolation and health challenges.
In 2023, it also managed the Solihull Voluntary Sector Resilience Fund, which provided £50,600 to help community organisations with sustainability and core operating costs.
More recently, the Foundation was selected to administer the Solihull Fairer Futures Fund, part of a wider £25.5 million health innovation programme led by the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System. The fund has supported more than 40 projects aimed at tackling health inequalities, improving mental health support and strengthening community services.
The organisation has also delivered the Solihull Community Buildings Fund, which invested more than £258,000 in upgrades to nine community facilities, including youth centres, community halls and sports venues. The improvements are expected to benefit more than 20,000 residents.
Other initiatives have included the Together in Solihull Fund, which supported refugee and migrant integration projects, and the current Pride in Place Fund, a £100,000 programme focused on strengthening community identity, improving local environments and encouraging civic participation.
Councillor Waseem Qais, Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, said:
“The awarding of this contract reflects both our confidence and trust that Heart of England will support us to empower our local communities and deliver an exceptional level of service.
“Based on the number of years and significant programmes we have worked on together a deep level of understanding has developed, a strategic partnership has been formed and we are very much looking forward to continuing our collaboration to deliver strong, measurable outcomes.”
Tina Costello OBE, chief executive of Heart of England Community Foundation, said the appointment recognised the strength of the relationship between the two organisations. She said:
“This appointment is deeply meaningful to us. It reflects not just five years of working well together, but the shared conviction that funding is only valuable when it reaches communities with genuine power to shape their own futures.
“We have been privileged to support Solihull through crisis, resilience and growth. We look forward to deepening this partnership in the years ahead, ensuring that the communities of Solihull have access to the funding, expertise and relationships they need to thrive.”
The Foundation said its work with Solihull Council has evolved to respond to changing local needs, ranging from emergency pandemic support to longer-term investment in community facilities and voluntary sector resilience.
Community groups and voluntary organisations interested in funding opportunities can find further information through the Heart of England Community Foundation and Solihull Council’s Communities Team.
