What is the North London Community Fund?
As set out in our Waste Prevention Plan, NLWA established the North London Community Fund (NLCF) to support waste prevention initiatives. In total, £250,000 is set aside each year in grants for community-based (non-profit-making) organisations through the fund. Along with the annual funding, we offer communications support and guidance from our officers throughout the delivery of projects.
The funding on offer is split into micro, small, medium, and large sized grants for community organisations across the seven north London boroughs.
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What funding is available?
All successful applicants will receive support throughout delivery of their projects from NLWA officers, including monitoring and comms support.
Micro grants
- Up to £1,500
- 1-year delivery timeframe
- Payments in 1 instalment
Small grants
- Up to £5,000
- 1-year delivery timeframe
- Payments in 1 instalment
Medium grants
- Up to £20,000
- 2-year delivery timeframe
- Payments in 2 instalments
Applying for the Community Fund
When the applications open all guidance documents and templates will be released on this page.
Any legally constituted, community-based (non-profit making) organisation is eligible to apply. This includes any:
- Charitable Trust
- Unincorporated Association
- Community Benefit Society / Cooperative Society registered under the Co-Operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014
- Charitable Company
- Community Interest Company
- Company Limited by Guarantee
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Charitable Incorporated Organisation
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Tenants Residents Associations (TRAs)
Projects must be delivered in one or more of the north London boroughs (see map above), but it is not a requirement for the organisation to be based there.
Schools and council-managed event premises are ineligible to apply to the fund. To learn about our education activities, head over to our Education Hub.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to waste-prevention, and you know the needs of your community best. We want to encourage a wide range of creative ideas and therefore there is no prescribed approach, but it is also important to clearly connect the waste prevention activity you are proposing to a reduction in household waste.
*Please note: We do not fund projects dealing with business waste at the moment, even if the aim is to benefit households.
Following a co-design process to review of the North London Community Fund, this is what we will be looking for in your application. Learn more about the NLCF co-design.
- C1: Planning of the project and whether it is achievable within the proposed timeframe.
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C2: What results the project aims to achieve, and how they will be measured and communicated.
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C3: How the project will involve, support and inspire north London residents, communities or groups to take part in waste prevention activities.
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C4: How the project's resources (funding, partnerships, time and people) are planned.
A more detailed breakdown of each of these can be found in the guidance document.
- Application opens - 5 December 2025
- NLCF Q&A webinar - 17 December 2025
- NLCF Q&A webinar - 14 January 2026
- Deadline for applicant questions - 22 January 2026
- Deadline for NLWA to respond to applicant questions - 29 January 2026
- Application closes - 5pm, 16 February 2026
- Application evaluation - February 2026 - March 2026
- Application outcome - March 2026
Applicants will need to provide the following documents:
- Audited accounts for the last financial year
- Environmental policy
- Health and Safety policy
- Equal opportunities policy
- Public Liability Insurance
- Employers liability insurance
- Registration/ Certification
- Enhanced DBS [if applicable]
- Evidence of funding from the Third Party [if applicable]
We will be hosting 2 free Q&A webinars to answer your questions and offer guidance on the application process. To book on, head over to our events page.
Applications for 2026/27 will open on the 5 December 2025 and close on the 16th February 2026.
Keep an eye out for updates to this page.
2025/26 recipients
Calthorpe Community Garden
Based in King’s Cross, Calthorpe Community Garden has been awarded funding to deliver ‘Turning Scraps into Gold: Sustainable Composting for a Greener Future’. The project aims to increase the capacity of the organisation’s composting facilities, as well as offering educational tours and workshops to members of the community.
Clapton Support and Advice
Clapton Support and Advice offers support and guidance with issues such as housing, financial difficulties and mental health. The ‘Baby Bounty’ project will support disadvantaged families with children under the age of 5 by offering free, second-hand baby items and educational workshops on sustainable parenting practices.
Cooking Champions
Cooking Champions run a community kitchen in Ponders End and a library garden in Edmonton Green, offering food support and educational activities to reduce food waste. The organisation is receiving funding to deliver their ‘Food waste? Put a lid on it!’ project, which will involve workshops to train members of the community in techniques for reducing food waste at home.
Edible London
Focusing on addressing food insecurity and waste across north London, Edible London has been offered funding for their ‘Surplus with a Purpose’ project. The organisation will be redistributing surplus food to vulnerable groups. The project will also promote sustainable practices and community cohesion through creative workshops and cultural exchanges.
Footprint For Good
Based in Wood Green, Footprint for Good supports at-risk children and young people by promoting personal growth and environmental stewardship. The 'Repair, Restore, Respect Furniture Programme' will teach 12- to 18-year-olds to upcycle waste furniture and turn scrap wood into items like bird boxes and tables, fostering sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Friern Barnet Community Library
Friern Barnet Community Library will use the funding to set up a monthly repair cafe for their project ‘Repair Café and Waste Reduction Workshops’. Members of the community will be able to bring along damaged electrical items and bikes, scooters and textiles for mending, as well as attending workshops demonstrating ways to repurpose household items creatively.
GB Carnival
As part of Leyton Mas, Heart of Carnival, GB Carnival will use the funding for their ‘Homemade Mas’ project. This will involve a series of free workshops led by community artists inspiring residents to reduce waste through crafts with recycled materials. The costumes and masks will be worn at Leyton Mas People’s Parade.
Photo credit: Vicki Couchman
Gold & Silver Interprises (Go Green Eco Urban Collective)
Gold & Silver Interprises, based in Haringey – have been awarded funding to deliver ‘Trash to Treasure’. The 30 week project will involve sewing workshops, wellness, sustainable cooking, urban gardening, recycled arts and crafts and repurposing textiles. The funding will allow the organisation to expand on activities previously delivered, aiming to promote environmental sustainability and social justice.
Hackney Foodbank
Hackney Food Bank redistributes food otherwise going to waste to those in need of support. Using the award, Hackney Food Bank will purchase a fridge enabling the organisation to work with more partners offering fresh food.
Kind Cycle
Founded by residents of Haringey , Kind Cycle create community design projects and educational initiatives that promote reusing and recycling everyday items. The organisation are receiving funding to expand the reach of their project ‘Waste Not!’, an informational campaign which aims to tackle waste on housing estates through better understanding of correct disposal and alternatives like donating and sharing.
Living Way Ministries
Living Way Ministries is a faith based community organisation based in Graham Park, Barnet. The organisation are receiving funding to support their ‘Mend and Munch’ project, delivering regular workshops for clothing repairs and alterations, and food waste prevention upskilling.
New Tribe
As part of their food waste prevention project ‘Onions and…’, New Tribe will use the funding to deliver workshops to migrant communities in north London. The workshops will teach residents traditional dyeing and weaving skills, making use of plant-based food scraps, as well as ways of upcycling and repairing garments.
Play It Again Toys
Working with local organisations across Hackney and Waltham Forest, Play It Again Toys have been running workshops, encouraging families to give a second life to their broken toys by fixing or modifying them. Play It Again Toys will use the funding to expand this project, connecting with more partners, delivering more workshops and promoting their work to a larger number of people.
REACT and Forest Recycling Project
In partnership with REACT – a voluntary organisation supporting over 3000 households in Edmonton - Forest Recycling Project are preventing waste by recycling paint, fabrics and timber in Waltham Forst and Enfield with their mentoring, community activities and tool lending library. Working collaboratively, the organisations will be starting a new project – ‘Sewing and Mending Skills’ – teaching the skills to mend, alter and upcycle to groups within the community.
Refugee Workers' Cultural Association
The Refugee Workers' Cultural Association supports refugees and migrants in Haringey, focusing on Turkish and Kurdish-speaking communities. Using the funding, the organisation will install a water filtration system to reduce single-use plastic bottles and upgrade the recycling system at the centre.
Screen Share UK
Screen Share UK is dedicated to ending digital exclusion for refugees while also advocating for refugee rights across the UK. With the funding, Screen Share will continue to collect used phones and laptops, host workshops to teach asylum seekers the skills to repair these devices, and redistribute them to asylum seekers in Camden and Islington.
South Hampstead and Kilburn Community Partnership
South Hampstead and Kilburn Community Partnership (SHAK) is a resident-led charity based in the Alexandra and Ainsworth estate in Kilburn supporting members of their community through activities, learning opportunities, advice and social groups. The organisation will be use the funding to deliver the ‘Stitch Social Plus’ project, aimed at reducing textile waste through upcycling and crafts workshops.
The Enfield Alevi Cultural Centre
The Enfield Alevi Cultural Centre is receiving funding for the project ‘Let’s Create’. This new initiative aims to encourage creativity and environmental awareness for children in Edmonton. Session will be delivered through an after-school arts club, making use of waste textiles and household items collected by the community.
Woodshop of Recycled Delights
Woodshop of Recycled Delights (WoRD), located in Hackney, offers free or subsidised woodwork workshops that emphasise the sustainable use of waste timber. WoRD's latest project, ‘Building Skills, Repairing Futures: Tackling Furniture Waste,’ will teach Londoners the skills needed to repair and upcycle furniture.
Yad Voezer Day Centre
Yad Voezer Day Centre, based in Hackney, supports Jewish disabled adults. The organisations initiative, ‘Second Helping,’ aims to tackle food waste and combat food poverty within the community. The project will empower participants to collect surplus food from local businesses, transform it into nutritious meals, and serve these dishes to residents with limited access to fresh, wholesome food.
FAQs
Yes. NLWA encourages applicants to maximise the benefit of other funding. This has several benefits including the increase of value for money. Match funding is not mandatory however, and will not form part of the assessment of your application.
Yes. It is good to detail the cost of the whole project. This can be detailed on the application form under the match-funding section. Please refer to guidance document.
Yes. We need to understand the set up. Provide details of the umbrella organisation and the project.
Yes, staff costs are eligible for funding. The amount of funding requested should only correspond to the amount of time spent on the project and not any other activities carried out by the organisation. It is recognised that staff time can form a significant part of project costs and details of all staff time spent on the project should be provided in the final financial report.
No.
Only one proposal must be submitted by an applicant in this funding round.
Payments will be made into the bank account of the recipient organisation. Recipients of the fund will need to be set-up on the NLWA payment system. This process can take up to a month. Invoices will then need to be submitted to Camden for payment. Payments are made on our behalf by Camden Council and payment terms are 30 days from receipt of the invoice.
If extensions to projects funded by the North London Community Fund have been agreed, this does not exclude organisations applying in later rounds of the Fund, even if they are still delivering the project.
Yes.
Yes. We are currently finalising the details of our large grant offer for 2026/27 and will be opening applications for large grants in the new year. Keep an eye out here for announcements.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Feel free to email us at wastepreventionteam@nlwa.gov.uk.
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Based in King’s Cross, Calthorpe Community Garden has been awarded funding to deliver ‘Turning Scraps into Gold: Sustainable Composting for a Greener Future’. The project aims to increase the capacity of the organisation’s composting facilities, as well as offering educational tours and workshops to members of the community.
