Event Fund, part of LBTH Mainstream Grants

Please note: the Event Fund has only 2 more quarterly rounds of funding, for April to June 2019 and July to September 2019 inclusive in its current format and process. Following the grant review carried out in 2018, all funding will be administered by a third party organisation on behalf of the council. For further information and to be kept up to date, please check the following web page and read further information at the bottom of this page. Https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/community_and_living/community_grants/community_grants.aspx

The Event Fund exists to provide small grants for high quality, public, arts events and festivals. It is administered by Tower Hamlets Council Arts, Parks & Events team. The maximum amount that can be applied for is £2500 however most awards are in the range £500 - £1000. 

The Fund aims to support organisations to improve access to arts based events and the quality of festivals and events in Tower Hamlets, encourage participation and increase community involvement.

Applicants will need to demonstrate how the event meets the criteria listed below.

·      Benefit for the Community of Tower Hamlets: how will local people benefit from this event or activity? Who will benefit and how will you know if the benefits you intend are achieved?

·      Partnership working: are you working with local organisations or communities? How are they involved and how will your partnership(s) work?

·      Innovation: is your organisation taking an unusual or adventurous approach to planning or programming? Are you bringing new audiences to the arts?

Your application will also need to demonstrate how the event will address of at least one of the Tower Hamlets Plan 2018 - 2023 priorities which aim to tackle inequality by building a strong, inclusive and fair borough and the four themes that we will focus on. These are:

• a better deal for children and young people: aspiration, education and skills
• good jobs and employment
• strong, resilient and safe communities
• better health and wellbeing.

For more information go to:  

https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/community_and_living/community_plan/tower_hamlets_plan.aspx

The Deadlines for Event Fund applications and evaluations are as follows:

You MUST read the Guidelines and Criteria prior to applying (download below).

You can apply for up to £500 OR £501-£2500, please ensure that you use the correct application form. 

APPLY HERE

Application form for grants up to £500

Application form for grants from £501 to £2500

You will receive an email once you have saved your application form with a link to your account. You can also use the link below to access the form you started and you will be able to return to the attachments page and submit your application

RETURN TO STARTED APPLICATION HERE  

For further information about the fund please email festivalsandevents@towerhamlets.gov.uk. For technical help with the online form please email third.sector@towerhamlets.gov.uk

New Grant Fund from October 1^st2019

All small grants funding from Tower Hamlets Council will be managed as a single programme from 1 October 2019.  This means that the Event Fund along with all other small grants programmes will cease to exist as separate funds.

There were workshops and other discussions with the voluntary sector late in 2017 and in 2018 about what the new small grants programme should look like.  The proposals developed from these discussions were agreed by the Council in October 2018 for the new programme to begin this year.  The report and full details of the new programme can be found through this link VCS Grants Programme.  

You can find a presentation which gives more detail about the change from the Events Fund to the new programme on the Arts and Events Team web page (http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?lang=e&s=38). 

The main points are:

·     Overall it is a larger fund – about £180,000 per year – though it will cover a much wider range of activities than the Events fund;

·     The amount you can apply for is higher – up to £5,000;

·     Theme based and outcome focussed – events could contribute to the outcomes in any of the themes so a lot more opportunities;

·     Administered externally – the fund will be managed by an external funder to you may get access to a wider range of funds, not just from the Council;

·     On line process – similar to the current Events Fund process;

·     Rolling programme – decisions normally made every two months so the possibility of quicker decisions.

The new fund will start from 1 October 2019, so 

April to September, events funded through the current Event Fund.  Application deadlines are:

·     7 February for April to June events

·     5 April for July to September events (and Big Lunch and Great Get Together)

Details at http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?lang=e&s=38.

October onwards, events (including Black History Month) funded on a rolling programme through the new fund.  

Full details of the application process, contacts and deadlines will be announced in March.  Details will be on the Arts and Events Team web page (http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?lang=e&s=38) and the Tower Hamlets CVS website (https://www.thcvs.org.uk/node/5038). 

Other funding opportunities

There are a range of other funding opportunities available to local groups and individuals. See those listed below to help you with securing your additional funding.

www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/?cat=13&guide=ArtsInfo

www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/advice_and_benefits/grants/grants.aspx

www.eastendcf.org/index.php?cat=9&sec=58

Downloads

Funding