Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund launches fifth year with £200k for creative skills, safe spaces and employment in East London

The Fund opens fifth year of community grants to support individuals, schools, community groups, charities and not-for-profit businesses across East London.

• £200k Community Grant Scheme opens for Expressions of Interest in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest
• Small grants of up to £20k are available, with larger strategic commissions of up to £50k set for Autumn 2024
• Community involvement welcome: applications now open for Community Grant Panel
• Free capacity-building workshops and networking sessions will support local funding bids, project management, and more
• To date, the fund has invested £7.8 million into 148 projects, benefiting over 50,000 people

The Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, a pioneering five-year programme with a £10 million investment mandate across Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Waltham Forest, supported by Westfield Stratford City, announces the opening of its community grants scheme for its concluding year.

Managed by the Stratford-based charity Foundation for Future London, the fund aims to provide crucial support to individuals, schools, community groups, charities, and not-for-profit businesses in these boroughs, offering grants of up to £20,000.

Established in partnership with Westfield Stratford City in 2021, the Fund has invested £7.8 million in 148 projects, benefiting an estimated 51,190 people through employment, skills, training and entrepreneurial opportunities. In 2023/24, the fund supported 28 projects and awarded £577,000.

Speaking about the fifth-year opening, Sarah Nelson, CEO of Foundation for Future London, said: “Over the past five years, the Foundation for Future London’s Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund has been a cornerstone in fostering community development and boosting creative potential across East London, thanks to the long-term support of Westfield Stratford City for social and economic impact locally. We are excited to see the innovative and life-changing projects that will emerge in this final year, and we look forward to continuing our support for local communities through our capacity-building programmes.”

In addition to the usual grants, several large strategic partnership commissions of up to £50,000 will open for applications in Autumn 2024, focusing on themes such as safer community spaces. A community grant panel will be formed to help develop these commission themes.

Year 5 community grant-funded projects must run for 6-12 months from January to December 2025. To be eligible, all projects must address at least one of four key themes: employment opportunities, learning opportunities, youth support, or business and entrepreneurship support. Applicants must demonstrate at least three short, medium, or long-term outcomes aligned to the impact framework originally developed by the Foundation’s grantee partners and local community members. This impact framework serves as the bedrock of the programme and is crucial to the overall success of the fund. Successful grantees will also participate in peer-led training, networking, and evaluation workshops.

The fund is especially calling out for applications from grassroots groups and organisations, with board and senior management who are from diverse backgrounds, such as ethnicity, sexuality, class or disability. The Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund aims to support diverse-led organisations. For instance, in Year 4, 92% of successful grants were distributed to organisations and individuals who identified their work as diverse-led. The fund aligns with the aimed outcomes of the Westfield Better Places Strategy, which looks to halve their carbon footprint by 2030, serve as a catalyst for community growth, and empower individuals to become change-makers in sustainability and diversity.

Alyson Hodkinson, Head of Sustainability UK at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said: “As we launch the fifth year of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, we celebrate the remarkable impact made to date. This initiative has already transformed countless lives by supporting diverse-led organisations and fostering sustainable growth. Our continued commitment ensures that East London communities will thrive, creating pathways for lasting change and a brighter future.”

The Foundation is recruiting residents for a community grant panel, an innovative approach to awarding funding. The panel will be given training and paid for their time to work with the grants team to assess applications and determine the theme for the large strategic commissions.

Those thinking of applying for funding can access free online workshops designed to help with the application process, as part of the year-round capacity-building programme, led by award-winning social entrepreneur Lisa Stepanovic MBE.

In line with the Foundation’s participatory approach, East London communities have played a significant role in shaping this final year’s programme through consultation, commissions and co-production with the Foundation for Future London and taking part in evaluation led by The Social Investment Consultancy.

Year 5 Community Grant Scheme of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund will open for Expressions of Interest from Monday 22 July 2024. Details about the large strategic partnership commissions will be available in Autumn 2024. For more information, please see: https://future.london/grant/year-5-community-grant-scheme/