Communities First is the Welsh Assembly Government’s flagship programme designed to enable communities to begin to make the positive changes that they want and shape the place they live in. Adamsdown has recently qualified to become a Communities First area

Communities First aims to:
• Get local people involved in improving their  areas and their own prospects
• Bring in funding and support from a range of sources to make things happen
• Make sure improvements last
• Encourage flexibility, risk-taking and new ways of dealing with problems
• Involve everyone working together to identify and do something about their community's problems.

Cardiff County Council act as the grant recipient body for all Commnuties First funded activities in Cardiff. They and the Welsh Assembly Government's Communities Directorate have agreed that the programme in Adamsdown will be delivered by the Novas Scarman Group (formerly the Scarman Trust) on behalf of the Adamsdown Forum. Novas Scarman manage the project staff and budget for the Forum.

Adamsdown is also increasingly pursuing activities jointly with other Commnuties First areas such as Splott - especially in Health Promotion and Skills Training.