Deadline: 13-Jun-23
The London Community Foundation is proud to announce an open call for the Elephant & Castle Community Fund to build on the strengths of local people, celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the area, and support the people who are most in need at this time of change.
Priorities
- Applicants that are based within the Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area.
- Projects that work with the most disadvantaged members of the community, in particular, those who are not currently accessing services.
- Applications that actively involve the communities who will benefit from the grant in planning the project and making it happen.
- Projects that will have a clear plan to measure their longer-term impact on the Elephant and Castle Community.
- Projects that encourage community cohesion, partnership building and celebrate diversity.
- Projects that have a sustainability plan for continuation beyond this funding period.
- Projects that engage local people as volunteers (outside of any management committee members).
Themes
Applications must address at least one of the following themes:
- Further education, skill building, training and entrepreneurship
- Helping residents to increase their educational attainment, develop skills, access training and gain employment. They are keen to support projects that create pathways to employment, volunteering, and work experience, and encourage socially enterprising activities which are of benefit to the community. They are also keen to see applications for digital training for residents who are currently digitally excluded.
- Arts and culture
- Promoting engagement in arts and cultural activities, in particular, those that celebrate the diversity of the area and improve the local environment.
- Young people
- Engaging and improving the lives of young people in the area, providing youth activities, and supporting young residents to reach their potential.
- Wellbeing
- Promoting wellbeing, helping people to connect with others and addressing what are known as the Five Ways to Wellbeing. These are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give – activities that individuals can do in their everyday lives to increase their wellbeing.
- Environment
- Increasing access to green spaces and improving the local environment within the Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area, with particular emphasis on projects where residents are involved in making the improvements themselves. They are also interested in proposals that respond to the climate emergency to achieve emission reduction.
- Examples of the types of environmental projects that might be funded include:
- Food growing or food waste prevention projects, reuse/recycling projects, greening and/or wildlife habitats
- Supporting the community in generating sustainable energy
- Education or training projects relating to the local environment including gardening skills and forest schools
Funding Information
- Organisations can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to be spent within 12 months of the grant award date for projects that support residents of the Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area.
- One grant of up to £20,000 may be awarded to one organisation to deliver a project within 24 months of the grant award date. The grant will be released in two instalments: £10,000 in year 1 and £10,000 in year 2.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible legal structures – there must be a signed governing document in place appropriate to the legal structure which includes an asset lock (or equivalent clause), and the purpose of all funded activities must be charitable (not for profit):
- The organisation must not have two years of net current liabilities within the two most recent completed financial years
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) – may also be registered as a charity or a Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee (CICLG)
- Trust
- Unincorporated Association
- Community Benefit Societies (CBS). Ideally, the CBS will also be registered as charitable with HMRC, however this is not essential.
- Governance
- You must have at least three unrelated members legally responsible for the governance of the organisation; trustees/directors/management committee as appropriate to your structure.
- The organisation must have submitted required financial information to the Charity Commission/Companies House for the last two completed financial years.
Ineligible
The following types of organisations are not eligible:
- Companies limited by shares (including CIC limited by shares)
- Statutory organisations, such as local authorities
- NHS bodies
- Co-operative Societies
For more information, visit London Community Foundation.