The North London Community Fund

What is the fund?

As set out in our Waste Prevention Plan, NLWA established the fund to support waste prevention initiatives in north London. In total, £250,000 is set aside each year in grants for community-based (non-profit-making) organisations. Along with funding, we offer communications support and ongoing guidance for the projects.

The funding on offer is split into micro, small, medium, and large sized grants for community organisations across the seven north London boroughs.

Map showing Waltham forest, Haringey, Hackney, Islington, Enfield, Barnet and Camden boroughs

What funding is available?

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

Applications for 2026/27 are now open and will close on the 16th February 2026.

Before you apply, please ensure you have read and understand the guidance document in full.

Guidance document

You will also need to download and complete the following documents and submit them with your application. It will be clear on the application form where you need to include them.

Once you are ready to begin your application, click apply now below. We look forward to receiving your application - good luck!

Apply now

FAQs

Who is eligible to apply?

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

Charitable Incorporated Organisation
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.

What waste prevention activities will be considered?

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 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.

Types of project the fund does not cover

Research projects
Projects designed to only reduce waste from a business
Projects delivered by a local authority
Project applications from profit-making businesses
Projects for which full funding has already been received from another source
The cost of work or activity that an organisation or individual has a duty to do
Projects delivered by a school*
Projects delivered in schools during term time or within school time*
* To learn about our education activities, head over to our Education Hub.

Evaluation criteria

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.

C2: What results the project aims to achieve, and how they will be measured and communicated.

C3: How the project will involve, support and inspire north London residents, communities or groups to take part in waste prevention activities.

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.

Required documents for successful candidates

If you're application is successful, you may also be required to provide the following documents ahead of your project delivery:

Public Liability Insurance for proposals that involve the use of a venue or locations.
Employers Liability Insurance unless the applicant has statutory exemption for this type of insurance.
A copy of accounts or financial statement for the last financial year relating to the organisation applying. If you are a new or small organisation, or if you need support with this request, we can guide you on what to provide.

A recent bank statement or official document showing details of bank account

As best practice, we also recommend you have health and safety, environmental and equal opportunities policies in place. Templates for these are provided here if you require them:

Application support

To keep our process as fair as possible, we do not offer support with completing the application. We will however be hosting 2 free Q&A webinars to answer your questions and offer guidance on the application process. Book onto one of the events below:

17 December 2025 (Lunchtime)

14 January 2026 (Evening)

We also hosted Community Workshops last year to provide organisational development training for volunteer, charity and social enterprise organisations in north London. The recordings are available here.

Many local CVS groups will also provide support with application writing - Get in touch with your local group to find out more:

Can we apply as match-funding?

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.

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.

Can two organisations apply together?

Yes. Organisations can apply on their own or can partner with other organisations to make a joint application so that they can deliver the project together. Please keep in mind that only one application is accepted per organisation each year

Can the funding be used to cover staff costs?

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.

Can the funding be used to cover core costs?

Yes, the fund can be put towards core costs. This must be set out in your project resources template with your application. However, the funding cannot be used to cover rental agreements that extend beyond the funding period.

Can organisations submit more than one bid?

Only one proposal must be submitted by an applicant in this funding round.

How are funds paid?

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 2 months. 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.

Can projects that are still delivering from previous round of funding apply for this new round?

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.

I applied previously and my application was successful, can I apply again?

Yes, we welcome applications from past recipients of the Community Fund for new projects. If you are applying for more funding for the same project, we would expect it to have evolved from what we previously funded.

Is there any other funding available?

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.