Twelve successful regional projects at this level could attract £480,000. Twenty could represent £800,000 of investment into DJs, communities and local support programmes.

The National Association of DJs is highlighting a recent £40,000 community grant as a practical example of why becoming a Community Interest Company could transform what NADJ is able to deliver.

The Wild Wood Connection Project, a relatively new men’s mental health initiative based near Stratford-upon-Avon, has received almost £40,000 from Stratford Town Trust.

The project began in May 2025 and brings men together each week in a woodland setting, providing a safe place to talk about isolation, bereavement, divorce and other challenges before they escalate.

Its funding will support running costs, outreach work and the expansion of its services. Local GPs and Stratford Hospital can also refer people to the project through social prescribing.

This is an excellent initiative deserving of support. It also provides a powerful illustration of what can become possible when an organisation develops a clear community purpose, builds local partnerships and presents a credible funding application.

WHAT IS A CIC?

A Community Interest Company is a limited company established to benefit a defined community rather than generate private profit.

NADJ CIC is therefore not simply another trading company or a renamed version of the former NADJ Unincorporated Association. It provides a properly regulated vehicle through which the association can develop community projects, employ or compensate people for delivering them, form partnerships and apply to suitable funding programmes.

The CIC structure includes an asset lock, helping to ensure that its assets and surpluses remain committed to community benefit.

That matters because grant funders are not generally interested in financing an association simply to continue operating as it always has. They fund defined projects that produce measurable public benefit.

For NADJ, those projects could include:

• Regional mental health and wellbeing meetings for DJs
• Business, financial and employment support
• Hearing protection and occupational health initiatives
• Electrical safety, equipment testing and public safety education
• Youth engagement, mentoring and routes into employment
• Training in safeguarding, first aid and responsible event delivery
• Community events combating loneliness and social isolation
• Support for DJs experiencing illness, bereavement or financial hardship

THE NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANT

A single grant of approximately £40,000 is greater than the annual turnover historically achieved by the former NADJ Unincorporated Association.

Now consider what could happen if NADJ CIC supported a genuine network of active regional branches.

If 12 regional branches each developed a successful £40,000 project, that would represent:

£480,000

If 20 regional branches achieved the same, the potential investment would be:

£800,000

This would not be £800,000 of unrestricted income for NADJ. Each grant would need to be applied for competitively, spent on its approved purpose and supported by appropriate governance, delivery plans and evidence of impact.

Nevertheless, it demonstrates the scale of opportunity.

Rather than asking what NADJ can provide from membership subscriptions alone, we should also be asking what NADJ CIC and its members could deliver for their communities with the right projects, partnerships and funding.

FUNDING EXISTS AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL

Community funding is available through local authorities, town and community trusts, charitable foundations, corporate giving programmes, health partnerships and national grant-making bodies.

The Government specifically directs community organisations to contact their local council about grants for community projects, although the availability, value and eligibility rules differ between areas.

The National Lottery Community Fund also distributes funding to projects that strengthen communities across the UK, with different programmes offering different award levels and eligibility requirements.

This does not mean that every application will succeed or that every council offers an identical £40,000 fund. It means that substantial funding opportunities exist, provided NADJ develops credible projects that meet genuine local needs.

REGIONAL BRANCHES COULD BECOME DELIVERY HUBS

The long-term opportunity is to rebuild NADJ’s regional network as more than a collection of occasional DJ meetings.

A successful branch could meet monthly, identify local needs, develop partnerships and deliver structured programmes under the NADJ CIC umbrella.

Branches could work with councils, NHS services, colleges, venues, charities, accountants, safety professionals and mental health organisations. Central NADJ could provide governance, branding, project templates, safeguarding standards, financial controls and support with funding applications.

The regional volunteers and professionals delivering those projects could also be appropriately compensated where funders permit it. Community work does not have to depend indefinitely upon the unpaid labour and goodwill of a small number of people.

A VEHICLE FOR SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER

The transition to NADJ CIC was not administrative housekeeping. It created a vehicle capable of delivering something far more ambitious than the former association could realistically support through membership fees alone.

The Wild Wood Connection Project shows what one committed local organisation can achieve with a strong purpose, an effective programme and the right funding relationship. Its recent award was confirmed by Stratford Town Trust as one of its Large Community Grants.

Now imagine what NADJ CIC could achieve through 12, 15 or 20 active regional branches operating across the country.

The opportunity is real.

However, the CIC cannot deliver it without local leaders, participating members, credible project ideas and people prepared to help turn those ideas into measurable community action.

NADJ CIC gives the industry the vehicle.

The next stage is to decide how powerfully we are prepared to use it. Join the conversation here.