Who can apply for a VCFS grant
As a group, you can apply for funding if you are a:
registered charity
company limited by guarantee
Community Interest Company (CIC)
educational establishment
religious organisation
social enterprise
constituted community organisation
friends of group
tenants and residents' association
Your organisation must also:
be non-statutory
be formally constituted
operate in the not-for-profit sector
have a properly elected management committee
operate in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Your application will be subject to a higher level of scrutiny if your organisation has:
outstanding undisputed council debts and no agreed repayment arrangement
a poor track record of delivering and monitoring of KPIs in previous council grant rounds with no agreed transformation plan
Who cannot apply
We will not consider these organisations for funding:
private groups or companies
profit-making or trading arms of organisations
groups seeking funding for the purposes of fundraising or redistribution
political parties
organisations using funds to engage in political activity or political campaigns
churches or religious organisations if the activity is intended to promote the religion itself, or if people must take part in religious services to benefit
organisations where ‘campaigning’ is the main purpose or activity, except local groups addressing specific health and social inequalities
organisations currently under investigation by the Charity Commission. If the organisation has been investigated by the Charity Commission within the last 2 years and the investigation has concluded, provide details of the outcome for consideration in the eligibility assessment
If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply, email: VCS-Grant@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
Priority groups and our equity approach
Equity is an important aspect of the work we all do to create a fairer, healthier borough. This model has been developed to support this aspiration, moving expectations to work with our priority groups into all themes and applications rather than standalone representation. We will work with organisations to ensure community voice is heard, specifically for underrepresented communities and will strengthen the sector support function to make sure this happens collaboratively.
We expect all applicants to consider how they are listening and responding to communities, building interventions in response to and with communities and engaging communities in co-design and co-production.
While applications are welcome from all eligible organisations, we will give priority to proposals that support our communities facing the greatest inequalities, including:
Global Majority communities
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
LGBTQI+ communities
people living with SEND, learning disabilities or autism
people experiencing homelessness and at risk of rough sleeping
people living with mental health needs, including people living with addiction
people living with physical disabilities
unpaid carers
We want to support organisations committed to working collaboratively, building strong partnerships, and making the most of the skills, assets and resources within our communities. We welcome applications from organisations of all sizes and levels of experience, whether currently funded by the council or not. They must work within the Royal Borough of Greenwich and show a commitment to supporting the priority groups.