Importance of core funding in supporting the sustainability of community radio

Wavehill delivered an independent evaluation of the Community Radio Fund for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The work addressed a significant evidence gap, providing the first formal evaluation of the fund since its introduction in 2005 and examining how grant awards made between 2016 and 2020 contributed to organisational sustainability and community outcomes

We combined quantitative and qualitative evidence within a theory-based framework, drawing on data from funded stations, stakeholder engagement and review of programme documentation. A comparative approach was used to reflect the different ways stations had deployed funding to strengthen their organisations and support local communities.

Impact

Between 2016/17 and 2019/20, the fund delivered 106 grant awards across 83 community radio stations, supporting a wide range of core activities including business development, fundraising, volunteer coordination and community outreach.
Many stations used grants to strengthen income generation capability through dedicated fundraising and development roles, helping improve financial planning and organisational resilience.
Beyond organisational benefits, funding supported wider community value through increased volunteering, training opportunities and engagement with local groups and organisations.

The evaluation provided government and sector partners with a robust evidence base on the value of flexible core funding, helping inform future policy discussions and funding decisions relating to community radio support.

The report is available to read here.