Volunteering and the voluntary sector

Round 3 applications closed on Monday 16 April 2012 - Round 4 closing date for applications will be published here soon.

The Wandsworth Big Society Fund is a new community grants scheme established by the council to help communities help themselves.

It aims to help projects that will make a real difference, but that need small amounts of funding up to £5,000.  Examples could include community composting schemes, projects to prevent anti-social behaviour and volunteer programmes in libraries and parks. We are open to ideas but the borough's Community Strategy, Our Wandsworth 2018 provides a good guide to local needs

Read about grants awarded in the latest round of funding here.

The fund is worth £169,000 in 2011-12 and will be available to support grassroots organisations that carry out schemes that enhance people's quality of life, take greater responsibility for the fabric of their neighbourhoods or improve local services by devising new and better ways of delivering them.

How to apply

We want to make applying as simple as possible.  You can apply for funding if you are a small community group with income of less than £50,000 a year or if you are an unconstituted community group. In its simplest form this could be any informal group of residents, but also includes more formal groups such as a residents' or tenants' association; business association, cultural group; sports organisation; scouts, cubs and guide troops, parent/teacher associations, etc.

All applications will need to address a local need and have local support, demonstrated by the endorsement of your local ward councillor.  For grants above £1,000, the Council will be seeking some form of contribution from other sources which may be in the form of cash, donations or voluntary time.

All applicants should read the Wandsworth Big Society Fund application guidance.

You can apply by downloading the application form.

You can complete this and send in as a hard copy or email. Please refer to the guidance note for how to do this.

Alternatively you will soon be able to apply directly using an online form.

We have worked two sample applications to provide an example of what you might be able to apply for and how this would meet the Fund criteria. You can view two sample applications

More information

If you have any queries, please email wbsf@wandsworth.gov.uk or contact Nigel Chandler on 020 8871 6206.