Cellnex UK sets up £180k fund for mast host communities

Cellnex UK has launched a Community Fund for organisations in areas that host its mobile infrastructure, committing GBP £180,000 in the scheme's first year.

The fund will offer grants of up to GBP £5,000 to organisations working in local authority areas where Cellnex has infrastructure. Applications are open to registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations, Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee, and other not-for-profit groups with a governing document and a UK bank account.

Unregistered community groups can also apply if they partner with a constituted organisation that acts as the accountable body. Projects must deliver their main benefit in an eligible local authority area, although applicants do not need to be based there.

Cellnex UK owns and manages 14,000 mobile masts across the country, making it one of the UK's largest digital infrastructure operators. The fund is intended to ensure communities hosting its sites receive direct financial support.

Funding will be available in four areas: digital inclusion and skills, the circular economy, biodiversity and conservation, and AI and education. Applications will be assessed on their geographic alignment with Cellnex infrastructure and the scale of direct community benefit each project is expected to deliver.

How it works

An employee-led committee, separate from the application process, will make funding decisions. As a condition of the grant, successful organisations must submit an impact report at the end of their project.

Grants can cover materials and equipment, venue hire linked to project activity, volunteer expenses such as travel, training and DBS checks, and a reasonable contribution to administrative costs. They cannot be used for staff salaries, general running costs, retrospective funding or debt repayment.

The launch formalises an approach Cellnex says has already supported social value projects over the past four years. It is now seeking to tie that spending more closely to the areas where it operates telecommunications infrastructure.

Announcing the fund, Steve Cray said: "We keep Britain connected and believe our responsibility extends beyond our infrastructure. We have been funding projects delivering social value for four years and the creation of the Cellnex Community Fund is our next step to delivering a positive impact which is even more ambitious, directly linked to the places where we operate in the UK - ensuring that the communities who host our infrastructure are at the heart of our investment."

Wider footprint

Cellnex operates more than 110,000 sites across 10 European countries, including forecast rollouts to 2030, with major positions in Spain, France, the UK, Italy and Poland. In the UK, its portfolio of mobile masts forms part of the physical network telecoms operators use to deliver coverage and capacity.

The new fund also reflects a broader trend among infrastructure groups to demonstrate more direct local benefit in return for hosting assets such as masts, towers and other communications equipment. For companies operating nationally distributed networks, local authority areas have become an increasingly important focus for community investment because planning, public engagement and social value commitments often play out at that level.

By linking grant eligibility to host locations, Cellnex is narrowing support to places where its assets are physically present rather than running a general nationwide giving programme. That gives local organisations in those areas a defined route to apply for small grants tied to practical community projects.

The requirement for post-project reporting also creates a formal obligation for recipients to show what the funding achieved. Every recipient must report on the impact of their project.