Exploring the possibilities for a national Fund for Small Villages for a liveable and vital countryside

The LVKK and provincial VKKs are constantly looking for resources for local projects of village communities. In order to make the financing less dependent on ad hoc and temporary government subsidies and contributions from funds, the LVKK is considering finding a broader financial basis and more stability and continuity through fund formation.

Another reason for the consideration of setting up a fund is the desire to democratise the spending of the cash flows and to place the decisions about spending more with the community. Hence, the LVKK is interested in a national fund for local community funds and has set up a working group to explore the feasibility of setting up a Community Foundation.

The project

HThe aim of this research project is to explore the governance of the various possibilities for setting up a national fund and/or financial structure for small villages, and to get a picture of the implications for the work and the (network) organisation of the LVKK. Also in relation to other national organisations that support local initiatives such as LSA and Katalys. The result will be an advice in which we outline a number of possibilities for setting up a national fund and/or financial structure for small villages that fit the goals and wishes of the LVKK, in which we discuss governance at the various scale levels.

The main questions of this exploration are:

• What problems and challenges are experienced in the financial matching between the village initiatives and lenders, and what is needed?
• Which other organisations, funds and cooperation structures are active in the field of financing village initiatives? And what are relevant developments and new opportunities in financing village initiatives?
• What facilitating role can the LVKK and the provincial VKKs play in this, what can they offer in terms of a supporting (financial and/or knowledge) structure, also in collaboration with other relevant parties and organisations?

The research consists of the following research activities:

• Problem exploration through interviews with the LVKK and a number of VKKs.
• Playing field analysis through an internet scan
• Literature review on fund formation
• Learning from a number of inspiring existing funds through an internet scan and a number of in-depth interviews
• Translation into a proposal for te governance of a possible national fund. We do this partly on the basis of the ACT student research that investigates three inspiring European funds for community foundations and translates this into possible 'models' for a national fund for small villages.