Grant for cultural events in town centres
Read about and apply for a grant of up to £10,000 for local businesses, business associations, residents’ groups and cultural and community organisations to deliver cultural events to help animate Islington’s town centres.
We are providing £30,000 funding in total for businesses, residents and community and cultural organisations to host cultural events and activities in and around three Islington town centres. The goal is to animate local spaces, and encourage local people to engage with local businesses and to come together as a community.
Grant amount and town centres
We are offering grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 for cultural events that take place in three town centres:
- North Islington - Crouch Hill (Tollington and Hillrise Wards)
- Central Islington - Newington Green (Mildmay Ward)
- South Islington - Kings Square (St Peters and Canalside Ward)
This grant is supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) and delivered in partnership with our new Growing Culture Fund, part of our culture strategy.
What we are looking for
The grants are aimed at supporting the transformation of Islington’s town centres by:
- enhancing community cohesion
- boosting local spending
- animating public spaces.
The ideal successful applicants will be organisations, businesses or residents that can deliver the event in partnership with other groups in each location. The events will need to be delivered by the end of February 2025.
Events will cater to diverse communities, ensuring inclusivity and broad participation. This initiative not only supports local businesses but also emphasises our commitment to creating a sustainable, inclusive economy. Through this grant process, we will support successful applicants to apply for the necessary licences needed to deliver their events, such as pavement licenses and park event licences.
How to apply
We are no longer accepting applications for the cultural events in town centres grants.
If you have a question about the scheme, contact culture@islington.gov.uk
Eligibility and selection criteria
Before making an application, read this guidance. This will help determine whether you or your organisation are eligible to apply and whether your event is likely to fulfil our selection criteria.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria. You:
- are an organisation based within the locality of one of the three town centres or regularly works with the local community in the area. For example, a community or cultural organisation, or a business or traders’ association. Or, are a local business, registered on Companies House, the Charity Register, or have a Unique Tax Reference (UTR)
- have a physical address in Islington (an operating or trading address in Islington from where most business activities take place) or your main trading activity takes place in the borough
- have no unresolved enforcement action taken by Islington Council in the last 12 months.
Charities
A charitable organisation applicant must have a:
- management committee of at least three unrelated members
- governing document (constitution, articles of association).
Businesses
A business applicant must be registered on Companies House or the Charity Register or have a Unique Tax Reference (UTR).
A food business applicant must:
- be licensed by Islington Council and have a food hygiene rating of three or above
- have no unresolved enforcement action taken by Islington Council in the last 12 months.
Businesses and organisation must let us know if you no longer meet the eligibility criteria - for example, if the business becomes insolvent or has already maximised subsidy allowances.
Your event
The event must be:
- deliverable by February 2025
- compliant with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements
- monitored and evaluated as specified by Islington Council
- open to all the community, accessible and inclusive, with no extreme religious or political agenda
- ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place
- have adequate insurance for the proposed event, such as public liability insurance.
After applying and receiving a grant you may be contacted for research and evaluation purposes.
Islington Council will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain additional grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be recovered, as may any grants paid in error.
Selection criteria
The grant should fund imaginative cultural events using the selection criteria below.
Support and celebrate local culture, community cohesion, local pride and belonging
Events should focus on celebrating local culture and strengthening how we connect as a community. They should foster a sense of local pride and belonging, through investment in cultural activities that enhance physical, cultural and social ties and support engagement with local spaces such as amenities, local green spaces and community or cultural organisations or projects.
Events can be themed in relation to the time of year, which for this grant runs from December 2024 to February 2025. This could include:
- Christmas
- January sales
- winter
- Chinese New Year.
Events may take any appropriate form including:
- outdoor markets and events in green spaces
- art trails or exhibitions
- several indoor events in the same town centre that people can move between
- workshops or interactive activities
- performances, screenings, exhibitions, live music.
Demonstrate value for money
We are committed to providing value for money in all our services. This means that:
- all project costs should be realistic and proportionate to the event plans
- artists, event facilitator and event management costs should be fair and appropriate, reflecting the level of experience and/or qualifications
- any project seeking funds from the 'cultural events in town centres grant' that includes paying salary costs should be budgeted at the London Living Wage or above.
Improve the performance of businesses and town centres through increased footfall and local spend
To help animate Crouch Hill, Newington Green and Kings Square, the events should:
- make town centres look and feel more welcoming, vibrant and bustling with activity
- increase footfall in the area, supporting engagement between local people and business
- use creative ways to encourage people to enter business and organisations and where suitable, increase local spend.
For examples of events and projects that animated town centres and high streets, you can read these resources.
Encourage people to engage with local businesses and organisations
Your event should use the existing organisations and businesses within the town centre, using them both as locations for activities to take place, but also bringing new people inside to engage as customers. Your event should:
- increase footfall and bring new visitors to the area
- increase spend in the local area
- encourage people to engage with local businesses and organisations they may not have otherwise engaged with before
- improve the reputation of the area.
Promote health and wellbeing
Demonstrate commitments to equality and diversity through event design, engagement and delivery methods
The 'cultural events in town centres grant' aims to support a diverse pool of cultural events offering varied engagement options for all local people.
We welcome and encourage applications that actively seek to better engage and work with the diverse community we live and work in. We particularly welcome applications that consider how they will engage with local people and or business/organisations of people who define as D/deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent, people of Global Majority Black heritage and of South, East and South-East Asian heritage and/or people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Applicants should consider different formats, models and methods of event delivery to support the successful engagement and involvement of different people from across Islington’s communities, including but not limited to co-creation with:
- local organisations and people
- socially engaged processes
- targeted marketing practices
- working with volunteers or community advocates.
All projects should be designed to reflect relevant accessibility and adaptability considerations, thinking about how the project will accommodate differing needs or requirements that potential beneficiaries may have. For example, variable formats for cultural activities, the sourcing of specialist facilities or equipment, the use of community languages or other inclusive practices.
Well-managed
Applicants will need to demonstrate that the project will be well-managed by:
- demonstrating the fullest consideration has been given to the safety and impact of your event, including its environmental impact
- taking responsibility for meeting all statutory requirements relating to equal opportunities, relevant health and safety matters, safeguarding and project risk management and maintaining relevant insurances
- ensuring all appropriate permissions, licences and authorisations are in place if required for project activities to be delivered
- making sure that project managers or organisers have the knowledge, skills and capacity to deliver the project effectively and safely – this includes demonstrating appropriate contingency planning
- hiring lead staff or facilitators that have the relevant skills, knowledge and experience, and/or appropriate professional qualifications to deliver the proposed event or activity
- providing evidence of your planned approach to monitoring and evaluation for reporting purposes.
Support climate action
Proposals should clearly demonstrate a commitment to using environmentally friendly policies and practices with reference to our:
Events could also include activities, stalls or exhibitions relating to climate action.
Demonstrate partnership working
Applicants are encouraged to work with other individuals, businesses and organisations in the town centre’s local area.