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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 is launching the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme on Monday 11 December 2023.
The new programme will provide £800,000 of annual grant funding between November 2023 and March 2027.
The Small Grants are 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 new 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 will open for applications on 11 December 2023 and closes at midday on 2 February 2024.
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 four information events focusing on:
- our vision and priorities for the grants programme
- the application process, including guidance and our online grants management system
Events
Date: 14 December
Time: 10 to 11.30am
Venue: Haileybury Youth Centre, Ben Jonson Rd, London E1 3NN
Book small grants information session - 14 Dec
Date: 9 January
Time: 3 to 4.30pm
Venue: Online
Book small grants information session - 9 Jan (online)
Date: 18 January
Time: 5.30 to 7pm
Venue: The Reach Community Hub, 11 Oliphant St, London, E14 0GB
Book small grants information session - 18 Jan
Date: 24 January
Time: 10 to 11.30am
Venue: Council Chamber, Tower Hamlets Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road London E1 1BJ
Book small grants information session - 24 Jan
What are the key timelines?
The bidding period for the new grants programme will last for eight weeks (this is only for this round because of Christmas, future periods will be six weeks).
Applications will be open from 11 December 2023 and the deadline for submitting bids is 12 noon on 2 February 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 |
|---|
|
11 December 2023
|
Applications open
|
|
2 February 2024
|
Closing date for applications
|
|
Mid-March
|
Notification if project have been successful or not
|
Applications for future rounds will be on:
- 1 April 2024
- 1 July 2024
- 4 November 2024
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.