Make It Happen 2025

Make it Happen is our flagship grants programme for arts and culture projects in Waltham Forest, celebrating the diversity of local communities and shining a light on talent across the borough in the process. 

The grants scheme has been designed to support activities taking place in Waltham Forest between May 2025 and December 2025. Applications will open on 13 November 2024. You can apply for between £1,000 and £15,000 and will need to make your submission by 6 January 2025. We will be investing a total of £100,000 into Make it Happen grants in 2025. 

We will be updating this page with more information including how to apply for a Make It Happen 2025 grant, so please return to this page for regular updates.

Projects we funded in 2024 and more about them.

For Make it Happen 2025 we will be supporting new projects that align with creative health. 

What is Creative Health?

Creative health involves creative approaches and activities which have benefits for our health and wellbeing. This may include visual and performing arts, crafts, film, literature, cooking and creative activities in nature. These activities involve innovative approaches to health and care services, for example introducing new ways of working that involve people who use health and care services, carers and communities equally. Listening to those who have a lived experience of particular conditions, and supporting the growth of skills, knowledge and education in the health workforce.

We’re looking for applications that propose creative approaches for connecting with health and care services across Waltham Forest. Creative health may feel like a new concept to many, so we’ll be hosting online and in person training sessions involving talks from relevant organisations and funders. We will also host a networking event to bring together the local creative, voluntary, community and health sectors to consider possible collaborations. Full details of these can be found below. 

To further develop your understanding of creative health, we recommend you read the Creative Health Quality Framework before making your applications and to learn more about this field.    

Below is a list of other useful creative health resources: 

• Understanding Creative Health in London
• Creative Health Quality Framework 
• Marmot Report: A Fairer and Healthier Waltham Forest   
• Creative Health Review 
• London Arts and Health 
• Arts and Health Hub 
• Waltham Forest Mental Health Promotion Strategy
• The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales 
• Our Greatest Asset: The Final Report of the IPPR Commission on Health & Prosperity 

We will be delivering a series of workshops and events that will help to develop your understanding of creative health, offer support with writing strong applications and bring you together to encourage collaborations and partnerships. 

Creative Health Networking 
In person at Walthamstow Trades Hall 
Monday 18 November 2024, 6:30pm to 8:30pm 

Delivered in partnership with E17 Films and Walthamstow Trades Hall, this event is an opportunity to connect with individuals from the creative, VCS and health sectors, meet creative health funders and develop partnerships that will make your application stand out. 

Free to attend, book your place on the ticketlab website. 

What is Creative Health?  
Online training session 
Wednesday 20 November, 7pm to 8:30pm   

This session will help to develop awareness and understanding of what creative health is. It will be delivered by creative health practitioner Daniel Regan. 

Find out more and sign up on the ticketsource website. 

How to write a strong cultural grant application  
In person at Good Shepherd Studios, Leytonstone 
Monday 25 November, 6:30pm to 8:30pm  

This session will focus on providing you with useful tips and advice on how to write strong cultural and creative grant applications. The workshop will be delivered by creative health practitioner Daniel Regan and there are limited spaces available. 

Find out more and sign up on the ticketsource website.

Application support days
We will be hosting drop in sessions in libraries across the borough for applicants to speak with us about their applications. Below are the dates and locations, all sessions will take place between 10am and 5pm. 

To apply you will need to complete an application form presenting your proposal in full, a budget spreadsheet outlining how you will spend the grant, and a project timeline to indicate key milestones.  

Please read through the guidance pack for information on the assessment process, funding criteria and other application guidance notes. 

We will be updating this page with more information on how to apply so please return here for regular updates.  

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

We welcome applications from anyone, including individuals, organisations, charities, schools, community groups, artists or collectives, limited companies and CICs.

We are also looking to fund collaborative projects that see health and social care practitioners and organisations working with artists, education providers, voluntary; community or social enterprise groups and more. 

You must be over the age of 18 to make a submission and will need to have a bank account to apply.  

Waltham Forest Council are committed to removing barriers to those who may face them to ensure our processes are fair. That is why we have committed a Make It Happen access fund of £3,000 for successful applicants.  

This fund is designed to help address any access barrier you may experience while delivering your project, for example due to a disability, carer responsibilities, language barrier, being a single parent or on a low income. You can apply for up to £500 in addition to your project grant. This could go towards cost of travel, childcare, carer support, a translator, BSL interpreter or other activity to aid you in the delivery of your project. It can also go towards any emotional support mechanisms for yourself or facilitators in the case of working in challenging settings with vulnerable or traumatised groups. 

Please ensure that you include any access funding in the budget sheet template provided when submitting your application.  

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email within 8 weeks of the closing date. It is recommended that you check your junk email, or contact us at the email address below if you have not heard from us after this date.

If you have any queries about eligibility or making a submission please email us at 
culture@walthamforest.gov.uk