More than one million pounds has been awarded to community radio stations across the UK this year.
The latest round of the Community Radio Fund follows a significant uplift in available funding for the 2025–2026 financial year.
Ofcom’s Community Radio Fund Panel met over two days in January to assess 115 applications, which together requested almost three million pounds. After reviewing each bid against the fund’s guidance, 47 stations were awarded grants, while 68 applications were unsuccessful.
The funding pot was substantially increased after additional support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside the reallocation of previously ringfenced money and the return of underspent grants from earlier rounds. In total, £1,004,472.90 was available for distribution.
Awards ranged from £7,500 to £39,839, with an average grant of just over £21,000.
The funding will support a mix of projects in both rural and urban areas, including roles designed to help stations generate income and become more financially sustainable, as well as training to support volunteers.
The chair of the Community Radio Fund Panel, Mark Jones, said: “The panel were pleased to be able to fund small and large projects in rural and urban areas.”
Media Minister Ian Murray added: “Community radio stations are at the heart of hundreds of local communities in the UK.”