The charitable foundation set up to maintain the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics will plough £1.8m (US$2.2m, €2.1m) into an initiative aiming to improve social cohesion through cricket.

Connecting Communities Through Cricket has been set up by the Spirit of 2012 to create a social legacy for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The fund will provide young people and their families to engage in cricket-inspired community-led activities, events and festivals.

Spirit of 2012 is looking for a “national lead partner” to deliver the project in six locations between 2018 and 2021.

“This is a transformational grant with the power to have a transformational impact in these communities,” said a statement made by the foundation.

“As such we are looking for an inspirational organisation with the track record, community roots and vision to take this forward.”

The deadline for stage one written applications is 22 May 2017.