Election 2026: Why funding community action is non-negotiable

As we step into election year, conversations about community resilience and wellbeing in Wales have never been more urgent. Across the country, community groups have become the backbone of local life; providing trusted support, tackling isolation, and creating spaces where people can connect and thrive. Yet, despite their indispensable role, these organisations face a persistent challenge: unstable and short-term funding. 

The Funding Gap: A Risk to Community Resilience 

Community groups maintain vital facilities and deliver services that often fill gaps left by overstretched public systems. But current funding approaches are erratic, excessively complicated, and overwhelmingly short-term in nature. This forces organisations to spend precious time reinventing the wheel to access resources for activities that already work.

As one group who participated in our manifesto workshops told us: “New isn’t always good—if it works, keep it!” 

Without strategic investment, community organisations risk being pushed to the brink. The cost of inaction is clear: losing trusted relationships, local knowledge, and the social infrastructure that underpins wellbeing will lead to higher costs and deeper challenges in the future. 

What must change in 2026 

Our manifesto, Thriving Welsh Communities, calls for changes to how community action is funded. Here’s what that looks like: 

• Adopting and implementing the Funding Code of Practice to ensure fairness and transparency. 

• Simplifying the grants systems by merging existing funds and prioritising multi-year, long-term funding focused on outcomes, not just activities. 

• Advance payments for all Welsh Government funding, ending the damaging payment-in-arrears approach. 

• Flexible procurement and commissioning, shaped by collaboration with community organisations. 

• Investing in core costs, not just project costs, to help organisations plan confidently and retain staff. 

• Channelling funding for the voluntary and community sector through County Voluntary Councils, ensuring processes are tailored to the sector’s needs. 

Investing in Community Anchor Organisations 

Community anchor organisations, like Gwynfi Miners’ Community Hall in the Upper Afan Valley or Brighter Futures in Rhyl, are lifelines for their communities. They provide everything from health and wellbeing programmes to emergency support and skills development.  

To secure the future of anchor organisations like these, we propose the creation of an endowment fund of £30–100 million, offering long-term, flexible investment that could transform disadvantaged communities. 

Turning commitment into action 

2026 must be the year that funding for community action stops being treated as an afterthought. Policymakers, funders, and partners must commit to fair, strategic, and long-term investment in community action. 

Resourcing community action for the long-term is building Wales’s future. Strategic investment in communities today means fewer crises and lower costs tomorrow. 

If you’re a decision-maker or standing as a candidate, embed community action in policy and funding frameworks. If you’re a funder, prioritise multi-year grants and core cost support. And if you’re part of a community organisation, raise your voice, share your stories and demand the resources you need to thrive. 

Together, we can make 2026 the year Wales leads the way in building resilient, connected, and thriving communities.