The Co-operative Bank: Free everyday community banking*

Banking for co‑operatives

Our partner, The Co-operative Bank, offers everyday community banking to co‑operatives, registered charities, community interest companies and credit unions through Charity and Community Bank Account:

• Free everyday community banking* means no monthly service fee
• All Charity and Community Bank Account holders can apply for up to £1,000 from the Customer Donation Fund to support special projects and fundraising activities. More than £1.2 million has been donated through the fund to over 1,300 community projects since 2003
• Free access to Go Get Paid, an app to help you do business on the go. Request payments, manage cashflow and automate financial admin
• 50% off a year’s subscription to Zellar – a digital platform that helps understand your impact across multiple areas of sustainability and build a plan to reduce it

* The Co-operative Bank reserves the right to review the account tariff for Charity and Community Bank Account customers who exceed any one of the following annual limits: credit turnover exceeds £2 million, deposit more than £100,000 in cash, or deposit more than 5,000 cheques.

Funding a happy customer to grow their membership  

Co-operatives UK member Signalise successfully applied to the Customer Donation Fund. Signalise connect Deaf people and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in healthcare settings. They applied for funding to invest in community outreach and face-to-face events to increase engagement and membership. 

A commitment to co-operative values

The Co-operative Bank’s co-operative values and ethics have underpinned their approach to banking since they were established in 1872. 

As a business with deep and historic roots in the co-operative movement, they have enshrined co-operative values into how they operate. 

Their unique, customer-led Ethical Policy, which has been informed by the views of their customers for over 30 years, guides how the bank does business and what issues it will campaign on.

Since 2016, The Co-operative Bank has committed over £3 million in funding to help towards providing vital advice, tools and mentoring to new and growing co-operatives and community enterprises. 

An investment that has so far helped more than 1,000 groups and co-operatives to grow skills, create sustainable businesses and act on issues to deliver real positive change for the planet, people and in the community.

Applying for an account

Before you apply for a bank account, your co-op needs to be registered. Make sure you have:

• Worked through the start a new co-op step-by-step process
• Used our digital tool to register your co-op

** Eligibility, terms and conditions apply. Your application is subject to status. This means The Co-operative Bank will assess your financial circumstances and complete credit checks.