Community Grants Programme

The council has launched a new £720,000 Community Resilience Fund that will support community, voluntary and cultural organisations through the cost of living crisis.

Our new fund will support the organisations and groups themselves to survive the cost of living crisis, enabling them to continue with the vital work they do in supporting our residents and communities.  It will focus on investing in culture and wellbeing and strengthening our communities to help them thrive. 

Apply for Community Funding

The fund will run for one year from 18 April 2023, with three opportunities to apply for funding. Applications for the first round of funding are now open. 

Application form for Community Resilience Fund

Application support 

Some community groups may be less confident making applications digitally - because of this, the Community Resilience Fund operates an “application support service”, through which you can access a face to face or video call appointment to complete the digital form. Translators are also available through this service if they are required.

Please email strategy@kingston.gov.uk or call the contact centre on 0208 547 5000 if you would like more information about this support.

There is also a full FAQ at the bottom of this page.

Types of funding available

There are three types of funding available through the Community Resilience Fund:

Core costs - The council will reimburse an increase in an organisation’s rent or energy bills up to a maximum value of £3,000. Funding will be awarded based on how the organisation supports the borough to be resilient. For more details go to the prospectus below

Small projects - Up to £5,000 to maintain or develop a community resilience response. Organisations will provide a short proposal and funding will be awarded based on how the response supports the borough to be resilient. For more details go to the prospectus below

Large projects - £20,000 to develop a new approach (exceptional applications over £20k may be considered). Organisations will provide a detailed proposal and outcomes monitoring. Funding will be awarded based on how the new approach supports the borough to be resilient. For more details go to the prospectus below.

Funding Prospectus

The funding prospectus sets out who can apply, and how to apply for each of the three types of funding. You can also refer to the FAQ at the bottom of this page.

Community groups and organisations will be able to apply using the digital application portal here from Monday 24 April and Collaborative bids are encouraged. 

The first window for funding applications is now open from 18 April to 31 May 2023. Funding decisions and awards will be announced during June 2023.

Full funding timetable

Tranche 1     Funding applications open 18 April - 31 May 2023 
Decisions and awards 1 June - 30 June 2023 

Tranche 2     Funding applications open 1 Sept - 16 October 2023
Decisions and awards 17 October - 17 November 2023

Tranche 3    Funding applications open 3 January - 12 February 2024
Decisions and awards 13 February - 12 March 2024

Community Resilience Fund - Frequently asked Questions

We are applying as a collective of organisations. How should that be reflected in the primary and secondary named persons?

Where you are applying as a collective of organisations, you will need to make one organisation the responsible lead organisation. That organisation will be responsible financially and for the outcomes of the bid. They will sub-contract the other organisations to deliver and will distribute funds to other partners.
The primary and secondary named persons should both be from the lead organisation.

Can the Council provide advice on whether my project is likely to be successful?

The application process is designed to enable a wide range of bids and proposals. The questions within the prospectus will be used to identify the strongest bids and ensure that this funding reaches local projects which support community resilience, You are welcome to write to strategy@kingston.gov.uk if you have a question about the process but the project team are unable to advise on whether a bid will be successful before it is submitted.

What projects cannot be funded?

Please read the funding prospectus for details of what activity is excluded.

Can we apply for more than one type of funding from the Community Resilience Fund?

Yes. An organisation or community group can apply for more than one funding type at any one time. Submitting an application for both Core Costs and a Small Project or Core Cost and a Large Project are welcome, however it would be unusual for an organisation to be successful in both Small and Large Projects as the Council wishes to increase resilience across the sector.

Can we apply in future funding rounds?

Yes. An application can be submitted in any of the bidding windows. The current application window is open until 31  May, followed by an opportunity to apply between 1 September - 16 October 2023 and a final window of funding will be available to bid for between 3 January - 12 February 2024.

Can we apply for more than one of the Council's Grants?

Yes. Applicants can apply for the funding options they see appropriate. There are no restrictions - but the Council may cross-check with other funding streams to ensure that funding is not being duplicated. The Community Resilience Fund funding prospectus provides the details for this fund only. There are other funds available from the Council, please look at our Community Grants programme webpage. If appropriate look to continue raising funds for your local projects using the Kingston's Community Lottery to get support for your good cause. 

Can we apply for funding if our organisation or community group is not based within the borough?

The funding is targeted towards applicants where the majority of your services are delivered within and for Kingston’s community. Groups do not have to be based in Kingston to apply.

Can we bid if we are not a community group or voluntary sector organisation?

There is an option to specify the structure of your organisation or community group if it is not one of those listed in question five of the application form (the questions can also be seen in the funding prospectus). The Council will need to be confident that the funding will be used appropriately and that the project has assurances in place. Collaborative applications are also encouraged where this will assist a smaller group to provide these assurances.

Are we eligible to apply if we are a ‘Ltd. company’? 

Ltd. companies are not excluded from applying for the Community Resilience Fund but the local authority would need to be assured by the application that the funding was to be used for the benefit of the community and not for profit. There must be no charge to the community to use the service. It must be a new or different offer that shows a benefit to the local community, not just expanding an existing business. There must be clear measurables in place to show that this is happening.

What can we do if we realise there is a mistake in our application, after we submit?

Once an application is submitted the information cannot be amended. However, please let us know what the issue is and the Community Resilience Fund project team can link information provided subsequently to your application. Please send any such requests before the 31 May 2023 in this initial funding round. Please email the details of your application reference with the error which you would like changing to strategy@kingston.gov.uk.

Core Costs

Can we apply for staff costs in Core Costs?

While you are not able to apply for staff costs through the Core Costs, organisations are encouraged to review the criteria for the ‘Small Projects’ funding stream, which is to maintain a small project. Staff costs to enable the maintenance of a response would be considered as part of this funding stream.

Can we bid for a contribution to an increase in energy costs without the ability to provide comparative earlier bills?

Applications must provide comparable evidence - these must be for the same organisation but these do not have to have been in the same premises. You are asked to provide your energy bills from October - December 2021 and October - December 2022 and if your application is successful we will provide funding for the difference. 
Where you are billed on a six monthly basis or for a period that does not match the three month period in question, please apply, sending in your supporting evidence, and we will be in touch.

Can I apply for Core Costs in the next funding round?

Yes. Applications can be made for Core Cost in future funding rounds as these will require comparable bills for a different three month period. In tranche two the difference in Core Costs will be for January - March 2022 and January - March 2023. 

Large Projects

What do you define as a ‘a new approach’?

Where a project has been piloted before, and the request is to deliver a similar project taking into account feedback from the previous pilot you are welcome to apply for the fund. Please include in your project proposal the learning from the pilot, the changes you will make as a result and how you expect these changes to improve community outcomes.
We are not aiming to support a project which is currently in existence with this funding stream.

Issued by the Community Resilience Fund Project Team 
If you have any questions, or would like any of this information in another format, please contact: strategy@kingston.gov.uk or call our contact centre on 020 8547 5000.