Mayor's Small Grants Programme
What is the Mayor's Community Grants Programme?
Our vision is to support and invest in a thriving and diverse voluntary and community sector to help it improve the lives of residents.
To support this vision, the council launched the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme on Monday 11 December 2023.
See awarded projects from previous round.
The programme will provide £800,000 of annual grant funding between November 2023 and March 2027.
The Small Grants programme is for small organisations with a maximum annual income of £150,000. This is to ensure a wide range of organisations can access council funding and ensure all sections of the community benefit.
What projects will we fund?
The grants programme consists of five themes:
Funded project
| Theme | Annual budget | Amount per award | Number of awards per year |
|---|
|
Mayor’s Community Events
Programme - The Community Events
Fund will support events that bring
communities together and celebrate our
diversity, as well as national and
regional celebrations.
|
£100,000
|
£2,500
|
1
|
|
Mayor’s Capacity Building Programme
The Mayor’s Capacity Building
Programme will provide funding for
VCS organisations to access capacity
building support so you can
strengthen your ability to deliver high
quality services to residents.
|
£100,000
|
£2,500
|
1
|
|
Mayor’s Community Chest - Very small
grants to support community events
and activities
|
£100,000
|
£500
|
2
|
|
Mayor’s & Young Mayor’s Youth
Empowerment Fund - Support young
people to design, bid and deliver
projects for their peers
|
£250,000
|
£3500
|
1
|
|
Mayor’s Positive Activities for Young
People - Support activities during school holiday
|
£250,000
|
£6,000
|
1
|
| |
£800,000 |
|
|
How do I apply?
The first round of the Small Grants Programme for 2024/25 will open for applications on Monday 20 May and closes at midday on Friday 28 June.
Each theme has its own webpage. This includes information on
- eligibility
- how much funding is available
- what the funding can be used for
- bidding process
- assessment process.
You can access the following areas
Organisations are required to apply using the Blackbaud Grant Management online portal which can be accessed through the theme pages.
What support is available for interested organisations?
The council will be delivering information events focusing on:
- our vision and priorities for the grants programme
- the application process, including guidance and our online grants management system
Events
To sign up to these events please select one of the following links
Date: Tuesday 28 May
Time: 5 to 6.30pm
Venue: Online
Book 28 May event
Date: Monday 3 June
Time: 11am to 12.30pm
Venue: Online
Book 3 June event
What are the key timelines?
The bidding period for the new grants programme will last for six weeks.
Applications will be open from 20 May 2024 and the deadline for submitting bids is 12 noon on 28 June 2024. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
The timetable for round one Mayor’s Community Grants Programme is outlined in the table
Timeframe
| Timeframe | Milestone |
|---|
|
20 May 2024
|
Applications open
|
|
28 June 2024
|
Closing date for applications
|
|
August 2024
|
Notification if project have been successful or not
|
Timeline for Community Chest programme can be found on the Community Chest page.
Applications for future rounds will be announced soon.
Get in touch
If you have a question or need support, then please get in touch with the Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Team by emailing vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk.