Patient community funding builds long-term resilience

As policymakers, local authorities and funders increasingly focus on prevention and community resilience, there is growing recognition that challenges such as loneliness cannot be addressed through short-term interventions alone. The conditions that help people flourish are built over time through relationships, trust and local action.Recent debate within the place-based giving movement has highlighted the need for funders to become more comfortable with uncertainty. Meaningful community change rarely follows a linear path. The Centre for Place-Based Giving's recent report, Transforming Places Together, argues that long-term commitment is essential for lasting change. The outcomes that make communities stronger, such as belonging, connection, contribution and local leadership, rarely emerge overnight. They develop through consistent engagement and strong relationships, giving communities the capacity and confidence to influence what happens locally.Loneliness demonstrates why patience mattersLoneliness is a good example of where we need to look beyond short-term solutions.Of course, individual activities that bring people together can make an important contribution. But if we want lasting change, we must look beyond simply creating opportunities for people to meet.Meaningful connection depends on relationships. It means people having the confidence to contribute, places where they feel welcome and opportunities to play an active role in community life. These experiences help build connections that endure beyond a particular intervention or activity. Building those conditions takes time and requires funders that are present in communities and able to adapt as community priorities and needs evolve.That is why patient funding matters. Rather than asking only what a programme delivered within a fixed period, we should also ask whether investment is creating the conditions in which people can build lasting connections, make meaningful contributions and influence what happens in their communities.In the earlier stages of community investment, indicators of progress may look different. Are local people having greater influence over decisions that affect them? Are relationships strengthening? Is confidence growing? Are communities developing the capacity to respond to local priorities? These can all be important signs of progress towards longer-term outcomes, even if the ultimate preventative impact takes longer to become visible.Let communities shape the investmentDecisions about communities should be informed by the people who understand them best.At the Impact Alliance, a collective of more than 50 purpose-led organisations across the West of England (convened by St Monica Trust), this principle sits at the heart of our approach. St Monica Trust has committed £500,000 annually to support the work, alongside contributions from partner organisations. Through six pilot communities, we are exploring how our collective investment, evidence-led learning and cross-sector collaboration can strengthen community resilience.Importantly, funding decisions are made at community level through local ‘enablers', helping investment to be informed by local priorities, insight and lived experience. This principle is already being put into practice through the Impact Alliance's work in the Somer Valley. Having been identified by the local enabler, one of the residents is now running a community-led project designed to reduce loneliness among older people through seated dance and music reminiscence. Under many traditional funding programmes, this activity would have fallen under the radar and the individual leading it would not have been eligible for support. Crucially, the impact extends beyond the funded activity itself. Participants are beginning to meet outside the sessions, suggesting the project is helping create lasting connections and strengthen the relationships that underpin resilient communities. This is one example of activities supported by the Impact Alliance. It demonstrates how communities often have the best understanding of local strengths, challenges and opportunities. By creating space for individuals, informal groups and small local organisations to shape solutions, funders can uncover ideas, leadership and community assets that might otherwise be overlooked. Patient funding gives these community-led approaches the time and flexibility needed to build trust, strengthen relationships and demonstrate their value over the longer term.Funders and local authorities must be comfortable investing for longer and giving communities greater influence over how investment evolves and success is defined.Making prevention possibleIf we want communities to be more resilient and people to feel more connected, we cannot expect every meaningful outcome to fit neatly inside a traditional funding cycle.We need funding that gives relationships and community capacity time to develop, alongside approaches to measurement that recognise trust, connection, contribution and local influence as meaningful indicators of progress towards longer-term outcomes.Strong communities are not built overnight. If prevention is to become a defining feature of public services, our funding approaches must reflect that reality. Patient funding gives communities the time, trust and flexibility needed to build the resilience on which long-term change depends. David Williams is chief executive at St Monica Trust

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Patient community funding builds long-term resilience

By David Williams | 21 October 2026

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