Community-Led Investment: Stop the Hype, Start Doing It Properly

Community-led investment is the latest buzzword in sport and physical activity funding. Everyone’s talking about it, and everyone wants to badge their programmes with it. But let’s be honest: much of what’s being labelled “community-led” right now isn’t.

Taking a community-led approach tries to disrupt the traditional model by fundamentally shifting power back to the communities. When done well, it operates in a hyper-local context. It trusts communities to set their own priorities, channels resources towards what genuinely matters and provides input and support to organisations and people in ways that last beyond the short ‘shelf life’ of a funding cycle. Too often, funders attempt to take a community-led approach but quickly slip back into familiar habits: short-term, top-down interventions, surface-level consultations, and a persistent power imbalance where money dictates the rules. Communities are invited to participate, but rarely to lead. And then we wonder why trust is low, outcomes are limited, and the impact fades as soon as the funding ends.

Here’s the risk no one talks about: if you get community-led investment wrong, you can actually leave people worse off than before. Expectations go unmet. Trust is eroded. And the next organisation that tries to engage will find the door already closed.

We’ve seen it and we’ve been part of it. And our message is simple: if you’re going to do this, it has to be done properly. Anything less, risks doing more harm than good.

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The Realities of Community-Led Investment

1. Start with strengths, don’t worry about deficits.

Communities are often approached as a list of problems to be solved. That mindset is disempowering. The real work begins with curiosity — listening carefully, spotting strengths, and understanding context before making assumptions. If you do this properly, the gaps that can be worked on will become clear.  By asking questions, and listening first, you’re already setting the right culture.  

2. Trust is the foundation.

A project will only ever move at the speed of trust. That means being intentional about who gets included and ask yourself “who’s not in the room?”.  Why may they feel left out?  Is it because of format, location, or timing?  Are you communicating on the wrong channels?  Communities need spaces where they feel safe and welcome to share openly. Trust is fragile. It must be built with care, ensuring everyone is invited and valued. 

3. Think long-term, or not at all.

Community-led approaches aren’t quick fixes. If you’re not ready to invest for the long haul (and we mean for at least five years), then this may not be the right approach for your organisation. Take the time to look internally at your organisation and spot the challenges you may face. Are your due diligence requirements too restrictive?  Are your approval processes rigid?  Are you under pressure to spend money quicker than a community will want to mobilise?  Be comfortable with what you may need to do differently before engaging.  A short-term programme dressed up as a community-led initiative risks creating disappointment rather than change.

4. Demand isn’t always there.

Communities where you want to work may not want to work in this way.  That’s okay. Don’t assume that you’ll be received with open arms. Take time to engage and listen prior to determining if you, as the funder, and the community are the right fit and the right partners.

5. Genuine leadership comes from the community.

Inviting input isn’t the same as shifting power. True community-led work means the agenda, rules of engagement, and direction and pace of progress are shaped locally. The funder’s role is to act as a backbone — supportive, listening, problem solving and providing resource, but never to set the direction.

6. Invest in people, not just projects.

From our experience where this approach works best is when people are invested in, before projects.  Every successful initiative needs a dedicated local driver. Someone rooted in the community, trusted by peers, and recruited with community involvement. Without this, programmes rarely embed themselves in local life and quickly revert to short term projects only.  

7. Rethink success.

Traditional metrics and measurement frameworks are only part of the story. Progress may look slower, but it often shows up in deeper ways: stronger relationships, greater confidence, and new collaborations. And don’t forget about the unintended impacts – those that you and the community never expected to occur.  Funders need to value this kind of impact just as much as the numbers.

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The Recipe for Real Change

Of course, even with all the right ingredients, success isn’t guaranteed. As with all  programmes, timing and method matter. The same elements can either produce something lasting or collapse if handled poorly.

That’s where expertise comes in. At Affleck & Co., we’ve been part of community-led programmes that worked brilliantly…and some that stumbled. We know the difference between the two, and we’ve learned what it really takes to help communities lead.

So here’s the challenge: if you’re not ready to share power, stay for the long term, and measure success differently, then calling your programme “community-led” is inaccurate and risks damaging the very communities you want to support.

But if you are serious about shifting the way investment is done, then now is the moment. Done well, community-led approaches deliver better outcomes and build stronger, more resilient communities for the future. And that’s something worth getting right.

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This blog is proudly written by Vicky Lowe and Lizzie Stanton, Senior Consultants within the Affleck & Co. Collective.