*Photo of Community Environmental Trust, funded via the Peddimore Community Fund.
Community Investment Matters
At the Foundation, we believe that development should deliver more than bricks and mortar. It should leave a meaningful, lasting legacy for the communities that surround it. That belief is at the heart of our community investment partnership model – a collaborative approach that ensures local people benefit as new developments take shape.
Our model is built on partnership. When new developments begin, we work alongside developers to design and manage community investment that responds to real local needs. By combining our deep understanding of communities with a developer’s ambition to create places where people want to live and work, we help ensure that development becomes a catalyst for positive change.
One powerful example of this approach in action is our partnership with IM Properties and the Peddimore development. Together, we have worked to deliver community funding that supports local organisations, builds trust with residents, and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the area’s long-term wellbeing.
Turning Development into Community Impact
Community investment works best when it is thoughtful, transparent and locally informed. Through our partnership model, funding is directed to grassroots organisations and projects that understand the challenges and opportunities within their neighbourhoods.
When developers invest in communities in this way, the impact goes far beyond financial support. It builds relationships, strengthens trust, and shows residents that development is happening with them – not simply around them.
The response from community organisations involved in the Peddimore funding programme speaks volumes:
“This funding increased our confidence in IM’s commitment to supporting our community. It demonstrated a willingness to invest in local organisations and address community needs alongside development activity.”
“From our perspective, receiving funding linked to IM Properties had a positive effect on how credible and trustworthy IM feels as a developer. The investment demonstrated a genuine interest in supporting the local area and an understanding that development should be accompanied by meaningful community benefit.”
Feedback like this highlights the value of independent, community-led fund management. By acting as a trusted intermediary, the Foundation ensures funding reaches the people and projects that can deliver the greatest local impact.
A Partnership That Works
Working in collaboration with IM Properties across numerous development funds has been both rewarding and impactful. Together, we have supported local groups, strengthened community relationships and demonstrated how responsible development can create positive social outcomes.
This experience has also shaped our newly launched Community Investment Guide, which sets out how our partnership model works in practice. The guide shares lessons from our work with developers, highlights the achievements of collaborative funding programmes, and explains why partnering with the Foundation can help create genuine and lasting community value.
As David Smith, Director of Planning and Communities at IM Properties, explains:
“Having an independent, credible and well-respected organisation like Heart of England CF manage your community funds demonstrates that you are committed to creating real impact and doing business in a socially responsible way.”
Looking Ahead
As communities continue to grow and evolve, the need for thoughtful, place-based investment has never been more important. By bringing together developers, community organisations and local insight, we can ensure that development contributes to stronger, more resilient places.
Community investment matters because people matter – and when it’s done well, it creates benefits that last long after construction is complete.