Marlborough Ward Community Grant Programme 2024/25

Summary

The Marlborough Ward Councillors, (Councillors David Perry, Varsha Parmar, and Antonio Weiss), have earmarked £150,000 of their Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding towards a Marlborough Community Grant Programme.

The aim of the programme is to award grants to support local groups, to either improve their delivery, growth, or sustainability. Projects should benefit local beneficiaries or improve the Ward.

A maximum of £10,000 is available to apply in each bid submission, an organisation can submit more than one bid but should highlight their preferred bid.

The deadline for completed Marlborough Community Grant Application Form to be submitted  is 4pm on 28/11/24, applications should be submitted to edo@harrow.gov.uk

For further information, please contact the Economic Development Team at edo@harrow.gov.uk

Applicant guidance

The Marlborough Ward Community Grant programme welcomes applications aiming to secure funding to deliver projects that align with one or more of the London Borough of Harrow’s priorities and its Vision:

• Priority 1: A Council that puts residents first
• Priority 2: A borough that is clean and safe
• Priority 3: A place where those in need are supported
• Vision: Restoring Pride in Harrow

Types of projects

The grant aims to support community groups in delivering projects that benefit Marlborough residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. It can be used for a variety of activities that enhance the local community. Examples of eligible projects include:

• Youth projects
• Green spaces, play parks, outdoor furniture, and trees
• Seating, lighting, features, greening, cycling facilities, and CCTV
• After-school, weekend and other youth and community programs
• Community activities that foster common goals and overall community development and social cohesion
• Health and wellbeing initiatives to improve mental health and reduce social isolation
• Community facilities
• Community safety projects
• Projects contributing to carbon net zero

These projects can cover areas such as open spaces, community facilities, youth initiatives, community safety, health and wellbeing, play and exercise equipment, environmental projects, support for vulnerable children or adults, and social cohesion.

There is a degree of flexibility with what NCIL can be spent on – early discussion with the Economic Development Team is encouraged​

Please note, the grant programme will not fund core costs of the organisation. This includes staff costs, rent, utility and other associated costs that are required for the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Eligible groups

The grant programme is open to community groups, voluntary groups, local associations, schools, healthcare hubs and faith groups. The list is not exhaustive and other groups may be considered.

To be eligible, your application must come from an established entity, with a positive social mission, with a bank account in the company name, and have at least 2 signatories that are unrelated.

Available funding

Marlborough Ward Cllrs, in principle, have allocated £150,000 from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) to make funding available to community groups to deliver local projects across the Ward.

The maximum grant available to bid per application is £10,000, the minimum amount is £2,000.

Payment is normally in arrears, but The London Borough of Harrow will consider requests for advance payment, to the value of a third of the contracted bid, to provide cash flow support for smaller groups.

Timetable

The following is the timetable for the Marlborough Community Grant Programme

Monitoring the grant

Successful organisations will be required to enter into contract with the London Borough of Harrow and provide monthly monitoring overview on:

• Updates
• Outputs delivered
• Risks and Issues
• Good news stories
• Details of spend with verification submitted
• Photos of delivery

The Economic Development Team will provide the monitoring template at the award stage and prior to entering into contracts.

Information on NCIL

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was introduced by the Planning Act 2008 as a tool for local authorities to help deliver infrastructure to support development, or address the needs that development places, in the local area. It is a levy on new developments to ensure that costs incurred in supporting the local area are funded by owners or developers of land. Each Ward has an allocated amount of Ward CIL funding which can be used to deliver capital and revenue projects to improve their local area. The amount of funding available is dependent on Community Infrastructure Levy receipts received within that Ward from new developments and therefore it differs between Wards across the borough. The majority of the current Marlborough NCIL receipt is from the Kodak development.

How to apply

Complete the accompanying Marlborough Community Grant Application Form, ensuring the application is fully complete. Any relevant information missing in the form may cause delays in the assessment process or may not be considered.

Submit the completed application form to the Economic Development Team at edo@harrow.gov.uk Your completed application will be then assessed to ensure it meets the guidance. All groups will then be informed of the outcome of their application.

Further information

For further information, please contact the Economic Development Team at edo@harrow.gov.uk