Community in Fellowship Square Fund 2023

Fellowship Square is a place for community and since its opening, we have seen our residents bring great joy and energy into the space. Following a successful series of events over the past two years, we want to further support community groups to enjoy all that Fellowship Square offers through funding to enable communities to host activities in the square.   

In 2023, we will be hosting two Community Days in Fellowship Square, on Monday 8 May (Bank Holiday) and on Saturday 16 September. Each day will see various community groups coming together in the square and hosting activities in gazebos and surrounding grassed areas as well as performances in the stage area. 

The Community in Fellowship Square Fund has been designed to support community groups hosting activities as part of one of the Community Days in Fellowship Square with up to £1,000 funding available.

Apply to the Community in Fellowship Square Fund 2023 (Word)
Read the full guidance (PDF)

Applications are accepted from any constituted voluntary, community or recreational group working with residents in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Examples of these include:

• Unregistered community group 
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) 
• Registered charity 
• Charitable company or Social Enterprise (companies must have asset locks, be not-for-profit and without share capital) 
• Community Interest Company (CIC) 
• Structured groups of residents  

We will also accept applications from structured groups of local residents who have formed for a specific purpose. They may be an established group who have been meeting for a number of years or a group who have recently formed for a one-off event or purpose.

Social Enterprises and Community Interest Companies (CICs) are only eligible to apply for a grant if they operate on a wholly not-for-profit basis. This means that the following criteria must all be met:

• 100% of surplus funds are reinvested into the organisation
• executive directors operate in a voluntary capacity and not as paid shareholders
• as an indicator of the above, there is no ‘profit distribution’ clause and/or an ‘asset lock’ in the governing document

Applications must meet the following essential criteria:

• Projects should be one-off projects or short-term activities to be delivered as part of one of the Community Days in Fellowship Square on 8 May or 16 September 2023.  
• At least 90% of the project’s beneficiaries must be Waltham Forest residents.  
• All activities must be free for attendees to participate. 
• Projects must demonstrate how they will achieve the grant objectives of ‘Celebrating different communities coming together to create new positive social connections in Fellowship Square’  

Examples of projects that may be funded are:

• Cultural performances in the stage area located in the Fellowship Square fountain – applicants can think creatively about ways to use fountain area as a stage. It is possible for it to be turned off and the space it usually occupies to be used for activity. 
• Workshops and cultural activities hosted in gazebos or surrounding grassed areas, that will help residents learn about and experience different cultures. 
• Family friendly activities. 
• Healthy activity sessions that bring young and older people together. 
• Community picnics in the grassed areas that bring together our diverse communities to share experiences over a meal. 

Applications must consider how event participants will be engaged to take part in activities that will help them experience and learn about a culture/theme. Applications for information stalls, promotion stalls and trading will not be accepted.  

Funding can be used to help with the associated costs to run activities - e.g. promotional materials, independent facilitators, workshop materials, artists for performances - as part of the Community Days in Fellowship Square. We cannot cover core and overhead organisation costs, unless such costs can be specifically attributed to the project applied for. 

Community groups can tap into alternative sources of funding to help pay for the costs of their activity, the activities don’t need to be funded solely from the Council’s fund. 

We will aim to distribute funding equally to communities based across Waltham Forest, however priority will be given to projects who engage the following groups of residents:  

• Carers 
• Disabled people (Including residents with a mental health condition) 
• LGBTQ+ 
• Older people (65+) 
• Residents from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic heritage 
• Residents who earn a low income  
• Refugees and migrant communities 
• Young People (11 to 25 years old) 

• Applications will only be assessed after the application window has closed. Successful applicants will be notified by the date outlined above.  
• If an organisation was successful in gaining funding in previous Community in Fellowship Square grants programmes they can reapply in a subsequent application windows. If an organisation has been unsuccessful in a previous application window, they are eligible to submit another application for a project in a subsequent application window.  
• We welcome applications from groups that have not previously worked with the council. 
• We strongly recommend that organisations work in partnership with other community groups, as this will contribute to the success of the fund aims to help bringing different communities together at Fellowship Square. For activities delivered in partnership with more than one community group, the application needs to be submitted in the name of one organisation responsible for the overall activity. 
• The first Community Day will be hosted during the Coronation Weekend. On Monday 8 May (Bank Holiday), volunteering organisation across the UK will celebrate The Big Help Out. We will be using the date as a celebration of local volunteering organisations and volunteers and all their selfless efforts over the last year, by bringing everyone together at the Community Day in Fellowship Square. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at connectingcommunities@walthamforest.gov.uk

The application form should be returned to connectingcommunities@walthamforest.gov.uk by 28 March 2023, at 12pm.

Hand-written applications will also be accepted, please post your application form to the address below.  

If you would prefer to submit your application in another format, or need to flag any accessibility issues you are experiencing, please email connectingcommunities@walthamforest.gov.uk