A BOARD of trustees is being sought to manage and release funds from a brand new Community Benefit Fund worth up to £800million. Grants from local communities across Wales will be awarded investments that will help to elevate and transform projects and places at the heart of Welsh communities.

A board of trustees is being sought to manage and release funds from a brand new Community Benefit Fund worth up to £800million. Grants from local communities across Wales will be awarded investments that will help to elevate and transform projects and places at the heart of Welsh communities.

Striving to deliver a wealthier and healthier Wales, £3billion will be invested by Bute Energy, a developer of onshore wind energy parks, into the development of new sites. As a result of those new energy park sites, the team strives to keep as much of that money in Wales as possible and facilitate the Community Benefit Fund to achieve this.

The Community Benefit Fund will be governed by an independently-managed charity comprising a board of trustees, and guided by local community-led panels for each energy park built, recruited from the areas nearest the sites.

Responding directly to the Welsh Government’s 2030 net zero targets, the renewable energy business is already developing new onshore wind projects across Wales, and Twyn Hywel in Caerphilly will be the first one that people local to it will benefit from the fund.

Catryn Newton, Director of Community Investment and Communications, Bute Energy said: “With the guidance and expertise of the trustees, money from the new Community Benefit Fund will undoubtedly transform the places, spaces, experiences, and the lives of those nearby the new energy parks developed.

“The charity is seeking exceptional individuals to join the new board of trustees at this pivotal moment, as they will help shape and govern the bold new model of grant-making and social investment in Welsh communities. We’re especially keen to ensure a diverse board with passion for change, lived experiences, and expertise relevant to the mission. As well as independent individuals from across the Welsh landscape, a member of the Bute team will also have a seat at the trustee table, providing insights and live social mapping data to assist in the long-term opportunities that are applied for.”

The dedicated Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) will administer the funding associated, all of which will be regulated by the Charity Commission of England and Wales.

Catryn continued: “As a Trustee, you will provide governance, strategic oversight and leadership, ensuring that the CIO meets its charitable objectives and complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. You will work collaboratively to ensure the Fund remains impactful, inclusive, and community-led, and be part of the team that enables third-sector organisations, charities, and social enterprises to grow and thrive within communities nearest our energy parks.”

Local community groups, organisations, and charities across Wales will be able to apply for grants that will allow brand new initiatives to be created, and existing projects elevated to be able to reach their potential and support even further.

The fund has been designed to empower those people near their proposed energy parks to support their transition to becoming more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient. The Community Benefit Funding will be worth £7,500 per megawatt of a park’s energy generation capacity, so each park will have its own pot of funding allocated depending on the final number of turbines and their size. This sum will keep its value for the lifespan of an energy park as it will be linked to the Consumer Price index.

As well as there being a demand for more collaborative working, feedback to the green energy developer’s Community Investment Team has highlighted a need for new project ideas that would reduce high energy bills, and future-proof local networks. As a result, the Bute team will ring-fence 25% of the grant funding to tackle the cost of living crisis which could include the development of new community-owned energy projects.

Trustees will play a critical leadership role in ensuring the fund delivers systemic, place-based change through innovative, data-led, and community-driven social investment. While a national board of trustees is being sought now to govern the CIO, local panels for each energy park will also be recruited as they become operational.