Please note this grant scheme is now closed
Please note this scheme is now closed.
The Small Grant Scheme fund aimed to support local organisations and individuals to create new jobs, learning, training and educational programmes through arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking in Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets.
The Small Grant Scheme accepted applications starting from £1k and up to £5,000.
Each year, we evolved the design of the programme using feedback gathered from our impact evaluation and our ever-growing capacity building network.
The scheme was part of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, an ambitious five-year programme that aimed to invest £10 million into the local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
The scheme funded projects that focused on one or more of the following funding themes:
Employment opportunities
Projects provided employment opportunities for local people, including access to paid work experience or internships, apprenticeships and pathways into jobs.
Learning opportunities
Projects created opportunities and supported progression through learning and training for local people, including access to lifelong learning from early years and school through to late career and post-retirement. Projects also offered bespoke career and higher education pathway support, training and secondments.
Young people
Projects adopted a young person-led approach, providing local young people with access to broader skills development opportunities, careers workshops, related learning and one-to-one coaching and mentoring.
Business and entrepreneur support
Projects provided local people with access to business and entrepreneur support, including freelance development, business start-up support, training and growth opportunities.
We recognised that these four overarching areas represented a broad spectrum. To support understanding of the outcomes expected through the grants, we developed a user-centred process.
Outcomes were defined as the project’s short, medium or long-term goals that would lead to meaningful impact for communities in the local boroughs. Applicants were asked to identify a set number of outcomes their project would achieve, based on the grant scheme they applied for.
We provided a list of 13 short, medium and long-term outcomes for applicants to select from.
Short Term Outcomes
Participants gained technical, sector-specific and/or creative skills
Participants gained essential skills
Participants grew their networks and awareness of local opportunities
Participants gained confidence in their potential and self-initiative
Participants were better equipped to process difficult emotions
Participants were equipped to act as agents of change in their boroughs
Organisations and schools were exposed to creative approaches to wellbeing
Medium/Long Term Outcomes
Increased employability of participants
Increased capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship
Increased diversity in the creative and entrepreneurial sectors in the boroughs
More diverse audiences engaged with the cultural sector and benefited from community assets and available services
Participants acted as agents of change within the local community
Organisations and schools integrated creative approaches within their projects
In Year 4, we also offered Using the Outcome/Impact Framework workshops from 24 May to 14 September, delivered by The Social Investment Consultancy (TSIC). Booking links were made available on our Capacity Building Programme webpage.
Within applications, we asked organisations to demonstrate the identified need for their project, how this need had been identified and how local people and/or those with lived experience had been involved in the planning and development of proposed activities. Applicants were required to demonstrate strong links and networks within the community to deliver activities and collaboratively address the proposed outcomes.
In addition to the above outcomes, projects were weighted more favourably if they had:
considered community engagement and consultation
considered sustainability of:
Projects – how new ideas had been developed and how other funding had been leveraged
Organisation – what areas of learning would take place, what best practice would be developed and how the project would support organisational growth
Participants – what longer-term opportunities or follow-up support were available, including paid work, further training and/or education
Open to
Please note this grant scheme is now closedFunding
Apply by
Duration
Outcomes
Categories
Activities
The Small Grant Scheme focused on projects around the four themes of employment opportunities, learning opportunities, young people, and business and entrepreneurial support within the four boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest. Proposals from individuals, groups, and organisations were all welcome.
The Fund was about creating inclusive and sustainable opportunity — it supported a range of activities and innovative ideas that drove the proposed outcomes. The Foundation for Future London advocated strongly for the ability of creativity to enable levelling up opportunities and to contribute meaningfully to the London economy. Therefore, it funded project activity that had origins in:
Arts, Culture, Heritage
Skills & Jobs
Business & Start Up
Community
Creative Ideas
Digital
Collaboration
Diversity & Inclusion
Intergenerational
Health, Wellbeing & Environment
Education
Creative, Inclusive Public Realm and/or Placemaking
Covid-19 Recovery
In addition, the following focus was expected:
For Small and Medium Grants:
Stronger youth focus — future change makers
Capacity building
Direct training/workshops
Bursaries/travel expenses
Equality, diversity, and inclusion were at the forefront of the Foundation’s grant giving. Applications were actively encouraged from all communities, including Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse groups; disabled and learning-disabled people; unemployed and/or low-waged individuals; people without qualifications; vulnerably housed individuals; Gypsies and Travellers; LGBTQ+ communities; children and young people; older people; and people with mental health issues or long-term health conditions.
The aim was to ensure that funding opportunities reached a wide audience and supported locally rooted charities and community-focused initiatives. Applications from individuals and organisations led by local people whose projects engaged and served East London’s diverse communities were also encouraged.
To gain a better understanding of the support areas and beneficiaries the Foundation’s funding sought to target, applicants could consult the list of groups in the Guidance Notes.
Small Grant Scheme projects needed to demonstrate a minimum of two short- to medium-term outcomes from the list of 13 short, medium, or long-term goals that led to meaningful impact for communities in the local boroughs. The full list was available in the Guidance Notes.
Audiences
Online applications were open on Monday 24 July and closed on Friday 22 Sept 2023.
Commencement of projects – January 2024
Completion of projects –January 2025
Review Process
All applications were carefully reviewed and evaluated against the four key core foundation themes, as well as short, medium, and long-term goals, expected impact, user and beneficiary groups, and budgetary spend.
Shortlisting took place internally via our online system and was conducted by three team members. Final awarding was decided by the Foundation’s Grant Assessment panel. Feedback was given to all applicants initially through our capacity building programme workshop, followed by potential one-to-one requests; however, the level of feedback depended on the size of the grant applied for.
Additional Considerations:
Consideration was given to a strong youth focus for Future Change Makers.
Consideration was given for provision of direct training, workshops, bursaries, or travel expenses.
Schools applying had to evidence that the funding applied for would not be used for core school day or curriculum activity.
Applicants requesting the maximum level of funding had to evidence why the full amount was needed and how it would be used.
Access Support & Flexigrant Technical Support
For access support or technical support using our Flexigrant online application system, applicants were asked to email:
Grants@future.london