Do you have a bright idea for a community business? Need a bit of help developing it and making it a reality? Then this is the fund for you. Bright Ideas will provide business development support, award grants of up to £20,000, and opportunities to visit other community businesses. 
The Community Business Bright Ideas Fund aims to give your community group the support and tools to start setting up your community business. It will also give your group the early stage finance that you need to carry out consultation with local people and feasibility studies to develop a community business idea the community wants and needs.
A programme of support and grants of up to £20,000 is available to develop your community business idea.
What the Bright Ideas Fund offers
• Online induction and ongoing support, either online, by phone or where possible through visits
• Community Business development plans, to help successful groups shape and develop strategies and plans for their community business
• Mentoring and visits, to inspire applicants and give them the opportunity to learn from peers
• Regional networking and events, to learn from social finance experts, successful community business leaders, funders and technical specialists.
Bright Ideas will provide successful organisations with:
• Between 2 to 15 days of business development support from Locality, Plunkett Foundation, or Co-operatives UK.
• The opportunity to learn from existing community businesses, through visits and events
• The opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £20,000 to develop your idea and/or improve your organisation’s capability, depending on your needs
The community business development support
Successful applicants to the Bright Ideas programme will be matched with one of the advisers. They will contact you to explain the next steps and arrange an initial meeting with you to discuss and agree your community business development support. You must be able to start work with your adviser within one month of accepting the business development support offer. Your project must be complete by the end of the Bright Ideas programme – July 2018.
A range of tools and tailored packages of support will be offered through the programme, to help you develop your community business including:
• community engagement
• business planning
• market research
• community shares
• getting ready to trade
• options appraisal
• financial modelling
• contract readiness
For further information and to apply, visit: http://mycommunity.org.uk/funding-options/bright-ideas-fund/
Deadline: Wednesday 30 November 2016, 12:00