Giving residents groups in fourteen communities the means to fund activities for their wider community inspired by the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
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The Fourteen Programme was a £3.5 million community initiative, designed as Spirit of 2012’s flagship legacy programme in response to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Running from 2015 to 2018, it aimed to bring lasting social change to 14 communities across the UK by providing funding to residents’ groups to distribute to projects, and design new ones, as part of a plan to improve the community. Administered by UK Community Foundations in England, Scotland, and Wales, and by Springboard Opportunities in Northern Ireland, the programme focused on locally led projects across four key themes:
From inner city neighbourhoods to rural villages, a residents’ group in each community was given the flexibility to design and deliver activities that addressed their community’s needs.
Building communities, one project at a time
At the heart of Fourteen were activities designed to connect and inspire people. From summer fun days and art workshops to youth sports leagues and women-only swim sessions, the programme created opportunities for people to come together in ways that felt meaningful to them. ‘Spark Grants’ of around £250 were made available to help kick-start smaller projects, enabling local groups to take that first step in turning an idea into action. Medium and larger grants supported initiatives aimed at long-term growth and collaboration within the community.
Local leadership was key to the programme’s success. Each community formed a Local Reference Group composed of residents who understood the needs of their area. These groups decided how Fourteen funding should be spent, ensuring investments addressed the priorities that mattered most to local people.
By the time of the final evaluation, UKCF data showed that over 40,000 people had been involved in events and activities organised by Fourteen in England, Scotland and Wales, at least 9,000 in a regular capacity as participants, and 2,000 as regular volunteers. In Northern Ireland, over 10,000 people participated and over 750 people volunteered. Communities saw improved social inclusion, strengthened connections, and a renewed sense of pride.
With its flexible approach, Fourteen empowered communities to address specific challenges. For instance, in Hendon and Ryhope, women-only swimming classes provided much-needed spaces for fitness and socialisation. Long-running youth football sessions on Islay and Jura offered young people something to do in otherwise isolated locations, while in Creggan, GPs referred people with long term health conditions to supportive, small group sessions at the Old Library Trust.
Participatory budgeting also played a critical role. Tailored local events, such as the Ruchill and Possilpark Spirit Market Place, allowed community members to vote on project funding, making residents active drivers of how funds were spent.
The Wavehill evaluation report argues that three years was too short a timescale to be able to talk meaningfully of ‘legacy’, and indeed that this “severely limited the ability to secure long term impacts”. For Spirit this was a challenging message. It is one we have given to other funders about why we did not give one-year grants – but we have also seen reports talking about why ten-year grants are still too short. We clearly need to adjust our expectations depending on the timeframe of a particular programme, and that includes funding projects that build in sufficient time to reflect and change their practice. However, successful programmes also need to operate over a timespan that helps them to maintain momentum, and funders need break points to work out how best to distribute finite resources. Spirit, as a spend-out Trust with limited funding to distribute was never able to offer ongoing funding community panels, so our focus was on ensuring they were in a stronger position to secure that funding from others in the future.
Indeed, Fourteen’s impact didn’t end with Spirit funding and many of the projects continued to thrive. Team Southmead evolved from its Local Reference Group, involving residents in creating a more cohesive neighbourhood. Ruchill and Possilpark set up a Development Trust to build on their momentum, while as of 2025 The Gorbals Ideas Fund was still supporting grassroots initiatives through participatory budgeting.
Springboard received extended impact funding to build on Fourteen in Northern Ireland through 14-NOW.
The Fourteen Programme showed that with the right resources, community-led action can lead to greater social cohesion, renewed energy at the grassroots level, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Read More: “What did Fourteen tell us about “place-based” funding?”
We supported the Jo Cox Foundation to explore community connection and social action through The Great Get Together.