The North Paddington Community Chest Fund

The North Paddington Community Chest Fund aims to improve the lives of residents in North Paddington by funding projects that support residents in further developing their employability skills, providing training opportunities, upskilling individuals, and supporting lifelong learning. This fund is open to community organisations or groups operating in Westminster, specifically in the North Paddington area (Queens Park, Westbourne, and Harrow Road wards). All projects need to be delivered by March 2026. 

Funding available

The total fund available is £200,000. Organisations can apply for up to £20,000, with the maximum amount not exceeding 50% of their annual expenditure. For example, if their annual expenditure is £30,000, they should only apply for a maximum of £15,000.

Applications are open from Monday 14 April 2025 for six weeks until Monday 26 May 2025.

Organisations can apply for a minimum of £5,000 and a maximum of £20,000. Applicants must clearly outline how the funding will be used, including the number of people reached and the expected outcomes. Multiple grants per organisation can be made, but the total should not exceed £ 20,000.  

Funding priorities

The following examples are some of the activities that Community Chest will fund are:  

• building individual confidence
• providing job training and upskilling opportunities
• increasing employment outcomes
• enhancing skills development and learning for individuals in the North Paddington area

All projects will need to indicate how they will measure the effectiveness of the project in meeting its aims  

All activities should take place in Westminster in one or more of the following wards:  

• Queens Park  
• Harrow Road  
• Westbourne  

Eligibility criteria

Organisations applying for funding must meet the following eligibility criteria:  

• The organisation's charitable objects must align with the Fairer Westminster Strategy. The strategy sets out the council's priorities to build fairer communities, housing, environments, economies, and councils.  
• Applicants must be registered charities, CIOs, or community interest companies (CICs). Any organisation with more than £200,000 in annual expenditure must be a registered charity.   
• Organisations should be registered and physically based in Westminster, providing services to North Paddington residents. Organisations not registered in Westminster but with an established service for North Paddington residents in the borough that has been operating for at least one year can also apply.   
• Organisations applying must have been fully operational, and delivering services to Westminster residents, for at least 12 months before applying.   
• Organisations must have prior experience receiving grant funding, either from the council or any other funder.  
• Organisations must have a governing structure, including a board or management committee, and policies on safeguarding, equal opportunities, data protection, and financial governance.  

What we can and cannot fund

We will support: 

• staffing costs for administration that are directly related to the project 
• management, planning and delivery of the project 
• competitively priced equipment* and materials relating to the activity being delivered up to £300 (if you expect your equipment or material costs to be more than this, we cannot guarantee it will be funded). 
• insurance and DBS certificate costs 
• venue hire 
• licensing, event notices and road closure costs (it will strengthen your application to have relevant permissions in place where necessary when you apply, but it is not required) 
• publicity and marketing costs 
• costs for training volunteers and volunteer expenses (for example, volunteer travel expenses). 
• costs to make the activity more accessible to participants 

Equipment may be purchased, provided the beneficiaries use it. Once the project has ended, it will remain with the beneficiary group or organisation for continuous use by said groups. This must be agreed upon with the fund manager before purchasing, and a valid original purchase receipt will be required.

We cannot fund: 

• projects that do not align with any of the criteria 
• the organisation's general running costs that are unrelated to the project 
• applications from departments within local authorities, however, applicants working in partnership with libraries, for example, should apply 
• capital works on-premises 
• staff travel expenses and parking costs 
• previously funded equipment that has not deteriorated beyond use
• purchase of equipment, unless specifically used and retained by the beneficiaries 
• activities that promote discriminatory or extremist views 
• regular core running costs, loan repayments or VAT 
• payments to suppliers on behalf of the grantee 
• 'business as usual' activities, such as normal maintenance or repairs or projects that already have funding to continue

How to apply

If you are thinking of applying, please submit an Expression of Interest form and tell us about your organisation and how you plan to use the Community Chest Fund to improve the lives of residents in North Paddington.

Submit an Expression of Interest form