Thirty-eight voluntary sector organisations are set to receive a share of £30m of funding to take over disused local authority buildings.
The BLF has told the organisations that they have passed the first stage in the assessment process to receive money from the Community Assets Fund, which it operates on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector.
The grants, which range from £150,000 to £1m, will facilitate the transfer of council properties, such as village halls or community centres, to third sector ownership.
The organisations have been asked to submit further details for their applications, which will be assessed before the end of January.
All the projects are intended to be self-sustaining after their development, with most of the income coming from rents and the delivery of services.
The BLF has also revealed details of nine projects that will be awarded money totalling £2.7m to replace or overhaul village halls as part of its Community Buildings programme. The awards include a £300,000 grant to replace an ailing village hall in Cheshire.
