Year 3 of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is now open

We are pleased to launch the third year of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund with £600k for East London creative projects as our local area celebrates the Olympic legacy.  The Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, designed and delivered by Stratford-based charity Foundation for Future London, is a £10 million five-year programme in which Westfield Stratford City is a founding partner.

From Monday 11 July until 16 September 2022, people in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest can apply for up to £50k from the Fund’s community grant strand for new and existing projects.

Now in its third year, the Fund has already awarded a total of £2,011,194 to 133 projects in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest through its community grant strand, set to benefit 15,000 people.  The Fund aims to develop new employment, learning and business skills and entrepreneurial opportunities and in particular support to young people as East London continues to build on its Olympic legacy with a widespread regeneration programme.

Here are a few examples of how the Fund is changing lives, careers and communities:

• A new LGBTQ+ pub and community arts space is set to open in Hackney (Friends of Joiners Arms)
• A sustainable fashion training programme is opening doors into the industry for South Asian women in Tower Hamlets (British Bangladeshi Fashion Council)
• Young Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people are getting trained up in virtual reality art for employment in digital, gaming and the arts (Project Zero)
• Young disabled school leavers offered paid trainee and training in the theatre production sector, learning about access, front of house and lighting work (Half Moon Theatre)
• A project helping vulnerable young people aged 15-25 years in Tower Hamlets to get into creative sector, supported by local schools and Black and South Asian creative role models, developing motivation, resilience and the skills to thrive (Streets of Growth)

Grants are available to apply to through the three schemes as follows:

• Small Grant Scheme – Aims to nurture new ideas and give people a chance to test things out — Open to individuals and non-profits, can apply for up to £5k

• Medium Grant Scheme – Supports scaling up and growing of projects — Open to schools and non-profit organisations, can apply for up to £15k

• Large Grant Scheme – Supports partnership working/collaboration across the boroughs — Open to schools and non-profit organisations, can apply for up to £50k

We are delighted to also present our second year for the Capacity Building Programme for our Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, which we are hosting, in partnership with award-winning social entrepreneur Lisa Stepanovic, a series of capacity building events, starting with general informaton sessions and pre-application workshops.

Foundation for Future London is a major funder, fundraiser and creative placemaker for the East London communities surrounding the new East Bank cultural quarter being developed on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

In partnership with Westfield Stratford City, Foundation for Future London launched the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund in 2021 to provide new jobs, learning, training and educational programmes for the people and communities of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking.

The Fund aims to focus on equality and social inclusion by supporting young people and giving priority to locally rooted charities and community focussed initiatives. It also provides ongoing feedback, training and capacity building for unsuccessful applicants, as well as those who have not applied before or have received a grant.

Maria Adebowale-Schwarte, CEO, Foundation for Future London says:

“Everyone at the Foundation for Future London has spent a lot of time listening to and talking with local communities to ensure the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is designed with and for local communities.  We feel even more confident that the Fund is providing a vital platform for resource, support and funding for East London. We hope that even more individuals, groups and organisations who have not applied before do and benefit in having their creative ideas and places supported through our Capacity Building Programme.”

Scott Parsons, Chief Operating Officer, UK at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield says:

“As Founding Partner of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, I’m incredibly proud to see the positive impact this investment has had on our community. The launch of the Year 3 grants programme coincides with the London Olympic Games 10-year anniversary and Westfield Stratford City is delighted to be part of the legacy supporting the people, culture and local economy of East London.”

Year 3 of Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is open for applications from 11 July until 23 September (extended from 16 September 2022 in observance of The Royal Mourning). For more information on how to apply, including guidance and support, please see https://future.london/programme/westfield-east-bank-creative-futures-fund/.