Learning from
Big Local
Explore learning, research and stories from Big Local, a community-led funding programme running from 2011 to 2026.
Big Local was an ambitious experiment in community power, backing 150 neighbourhoods to lead change on their own terms.
In terms of scale, length of time and ethos, nothing like Big Local had previously existed. At the heart of the programme was a vision of empowered, resilient and asset-rich communities making their own decisions on what is best for their area.
Learn more about the Big Local programme and Local Trust, by exploring the About Big Local and Timeline of Big Local pages.
Welcome to Learning from Big Local - a place to explore what happens when residents lead lasting change in their communities. Here's a quick guide to the website and what you'll discover.
Big Local was a bold experiment in community power, giving 150 areas across England just over £1million each to invest over 10-15 years. Residents decided how to use this long-term funding to make their areas even better places to live.
The programme was run by Local Trust, set up in 2012 with an endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund.
This website brings together the research, insights and stories from the Big Local programme. Here you'll find summaries of each Big Local area showing their approaches and achievements; Q&A articles combining research findings with Local Trust insights; stories that share residents' voices; and reports and guidance on community-led work. Resources are organised by themes, reflecting the issues communities cared about most.
Explore the site to find out more about Big Local's journey, how each area used its funding and what community power looks like in action. Explore the site now.
This website brings together an overview of research, learning and stories from across the Big Local programme. Most of the resources available can be browsed through themes. Read about how each area used their funding by browsing by area. Find answers to questions about Big Local by reading the Q&A articles. These bring together the learnings from research reports and experiences of Local Trust staff.
Hear directly from residents and read the stories gathered throughout the lifetime of Big Local. Deep dive into research and policy by browsing the reports. We’ve also created guidance on developing community-led projects. More of these documents will be developed in 2026.
You can find out about the overall picture of change in resources under the theme of Community Change, and access the following external statistical reports on the impact of Big Local:
A Theory of Change for the Big Local model is being developed and will be brought together and shared in mid-2026.
Quantitative impact reporting was not a requirement for Big Local areas and is not the focus of this website. You can learn more about Local Trust’s approach to research and learning in this article.
awarded to 150 communities, where residents decided how best to allocate funds
residents that led decisions on how funding should be spent in their communities
residents volunteering towards activities and services funded by Big Local areas
