Your Town, Your Voice Town – Southall – Community Funding 2026 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Southall Your Voice Your Town’s Future Community Fund, is designed by the Southall Town Team to support projects that make a difference to the health and education of the children living and studying in the Town. The funding is to help support change powered by communities, recognising that some of the best solutions and ways to improve our Town come from the community itself.  The funding is supplied by Ealing Council, but the process is designed by the Town Team.

For smaller grants under £1,500 we welcome applications from everyone. You can be:

• Southall residents – including people of all ages. If you are under-18 we would need your family or an organisation to help support the application but would love you to apply.
• Community groups, charities and social enterprises
• Schools or other educational body
• Faith groups
• Businesses so long as this isn’t profit making.
• If you are reading this, you!

For larger grants between £1,500-15,000 you need to be a registered organisation. This can be:

• A community group, charities and social enterprises
• Schools or Educational body
• Faith groups
• An incorporated business

Do you need help with your application?  The Town Team are offering drop-in sessions at the Jasmine Community Centre, Lancaster Road, Southall UB1 1AT on Wednesdays from 10am til 12noon on:

21 October

28 October

4 November

11 November

18 November

25 November

2 December.

Ealing and Hounslow CVS offer a range of funding surgery sessions and support across the borough and are also happy to help. https://ehcvs.org.uk/. Get in touch by email dosomethinggood@ealing.gov.uk or tel 07841591236

If you require a hardcopy of the application form, please email dosomethinggood@ealing.gov.uk, and add “Southall Your Voice, Your Town Community Fund” in the title of the email, and providing your full name and postal address.

The deadline for applications is 1pm on Thursday 3 December 2026.

The town team have set up an opportunity to meet shortlisted applicants in person on Thursday 14th January 2027 from 6.30pm in the Dominion Centre, 112 The green, UB2 4BQ. Please do keep this date free in your busy calendars so you can attend. More details will be sent to applicants once the application date is passed.

We will let applicants know if they have been successful, or not, by 12th February 2027.

There is a total of £180,000 and grants of between £150 and £15,000 are available.

We have two pots of funding available:

• Small grants of up to £1,500
• Larger grants of up to £15,000

For smaller grants under £1,500 we welcome applications from individuals and organisations. For grants between £1,500 – £15,000 you need to be a registered organisation.  This could be a faith group, registered charity or charitable incorporated organisations, company limited by shares, company limited by guarantee, a school or other corporate body.

For all successful applicants we require the project to be completed by 30^th December 2027.

There are some rules and restrictions which applicants must adhere to

• The funds may only be used for the purposes as stated in the application.
• The funds must be used to provide a benefit to people who live or go to school in Southall
• The funds cannot be transferred to another person.

We want to encourage a wide of range of applications, but funding cannot be provided for projects which fall into the following categories:

• Projects relating to party-political activity or campaigning
• Activities that are statutory responsibilities
• Projects that do not primarily benefit Southall residents
• Profit generating activities
• Spending which has already taken place
• Where the applicant will receive a personal benefit.

Yes the funding can be used for capital improvements as well as costs to run activities. If the funding is for a capital project you need to consider what permissions you will need to get in order to carry out the work. You will need to understand that it can take some time to get permissions, if you haven’t already started this process. Projects will be more likely to meet the criteria if you demonstrate you understand the permissions you will require and that your plan takes this into account.

If you need to consider permissions on the use of land advice is available at Land Registry – Do Something Good. But do get in touch if you have questions about permissions and we will try and help.

We encourage applications from schools, but the activity funded shouldn’t be for the regular delivery of educational or school activities.   We also welcome applications from young people that are support by the school or PTA.

Applications will be assessed by the Town Team.  They will look at 6 key elements (0–5 per criterion).

• Alignment with priorities
• Feasibility
• Value for money
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Community Involvement

Each criterion is scored from 0–5, giving a maximum total of 30 points.

Applications asking for smaller amounts of money will be looked at proportionally, recognising that larger amounts of money may mean more is delivered for example.

The town team are looking for projects that support young people in at least one of the key priorities:

Learning, communication and development

• • Help children, young people and families become confident speakers, use their language skills to achieve their goals and communicate effectively.
  • Build confidence to read, understand information and advocate for themselves.
  • Support children and young people through the transition from one school or phase of education to another.
  • Provide safe, enriching after-school activities, such as book clubs and science clubs.
  • Create opportunities to learn music and take part in the arts as ways to develop skills and express themselves.

Health and Wellbeing

• • Promote healthy eating and good nutrition, including opportunities to educate about, engage with and grow food.
  • Increase access to dance, play, sport, and other forms of physical activity.
  • Provide respite from anxiety, stress, being bullied and/or trauma

Family stability and opportunity

• • Help families with supporting their children through key stages of their development through interesting activities which help them connect more with their community and bridge information gaps.
  • Provide families accessible pathways to employment, training and skills opportunities.

Belonging, participation and Community

• • Increase children’s and families’ awareness, understanding and care of their local area.
  • Strengthen children’s and families’ sense of belonging and their ability to take part in community life.

Activities should be shaped around the different needs of local families, helping children and parents build skills and confidence, feel included, connect with others and have equal opportunities to learn, take part and do well.

Funded activities may help people recognise, understand and celebrate their heritage and culture. Projects may also bring different communities together, improve local spaces, encourage healthy lifestyles, support learning and self-expression, and help children and young people make positive changes in their neighbourhoods.

The Fund is open to everyone in Southall. We will prioritise projects that support young people who face barriers to taking part, such as cost, location, limited support from a parent or guardian, caring responsibilities, or disabilities.

A strong application will:

• Outline a clear idea that is in line with the priorities the Town Team have outlined
• Shares a clear budget
• Shows a feasible plan for how the work will be delivered
• Shows a clear way to make a difference
• Involves local people
• Can be sustained beyond this funding.

But we want lots of people to feel funding can be for them.

If you need any help with developing your idea or application, reach out to attend one of these drop-in sessions

Wednesdays 10am -12noon in the Jasmine Community Centre, Lancaster Road, Southall UB1 1AT

On 21 Oct, 28 Oct, 4 Nov, 11 Nov, 18 Nov, 25 Nov, 2 Dec or contact EHCVS https://ehcvs.org.uk/

There are also some rules and restrictions which applicants must adhere to:

The funds may only be used for the purposes as stated in the application

The funds must be used to provide a benefit to people or places in the Town

The funds cannot be transferred to another person

No, we welcome applications from individuals and organisations. However, If you are applying for grants over £1500 you need to be an incorporated and constituted organisation (a company, charitable incorporated organisations, community interest company, cooperative, or public body such as a school) or work in partnership with an incorporated organisation, so that you are able to receive the funding.

Individuals
We encourage individuals to apply and would recommend that you work with people in the community to evidence the need for your project. If you apply as an individual and are successful, you will receive the funding on providing references from two people from the community, which can confirm your reliability and dedication to the proposed project.

Suitable referees may include local teachers, faith leaders, pharmacists, community workers or other respected individuals who are familiar with your work and standing in the community. Referees must not be family members.

Constituted Groups
If you apply as a formal or constituted group (such as a registered charity or company) and are awarded a fund you will be asked to provide a copy of your constitution and details of your bank account.

Unconstituted  Groups
If you apply as an unconstituted group, any award will be made on the basis that your grant is held and managed on your behalf by an eligible constituted organisation (“a Grant Managing Organisation”). The Council will arrange this with you after decisions are made. No payments are made directly to unconstituted groups.

Data Sharing Privacy Notice

Yes, your project will involve working with children, young adults and/or adults who experience vulnerabilities, and you will need to have some basic safeguarding measures in place.

Safeguarding measures are steps that help protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults from harm when they take part in community projects. For a community group, this usually means having a safeguarding policy in place, which is a simple document that explains how you will keep people safe. You should also make sure that anyone working directly with these groups has passed the necessary background checks (such as a Disclosure Barring Service check), and that there is a named person responsible for safeguarding who people can talk to if they have any concerns. Training for volunteers and staff on how to spot and report concerns is also helpful. These steps make sure that everyone involved is protected and knows what to do if something doesn’t seem right.

If you are a constituted group you may already have a safeguarding policy in place, a named safeguarding lead person and DBS checked staff/volunteers, information you can provide on request if your application is successful.

If you intend to collect personal data on people who will uses your service, this information will require a clear process on how you will handle, share, store and retain that data.  If you don’t have the above and need support with this, if your application is successful, we can help you put the right steps in place.

If your project involves using land or property that does not belong to you, you may need to get permission from the owner or Ealing Council before starting.  If you need to seek permission, we suggest you have at least contacted the people and discussed what it would take to get permission. The process for getting permission should be part of the plan you outline.

If you’re running activities where someone could get hurt or something could get damaged, you should have public liability insurance to protect your group. If your project involves making or selling food, you might need food hygiene certificates to show you can handle and prepare food safely.

It’s important to check what’s needed for your project and make sure you have everything in place before you begin. If you need help with understanding what permissions and documents you may need, you can contact Ealing and Hounslow CVS at info@EHCVS.org.uk

If you are awarded a grant, depending on whether you are a constituted group, a unconstituted group or an individual, we will require documents that will help with due diligence and support the payment process:

• Permission to do checks on the electoral role and council tax register if you are applying as an individual
• Your group’s constitution, if you are a constituted group
• A recent bank statement for constituted group accounts and individual account

The deadline for applications is 1pm  Thursday 3 December 2026

Your full application, which includes personal information such as your group’s name, contact details, and project info etc. will be seen by Ealing Council staff, Ealing Council Evaluators, Council appointed evaluators and shared with a small number of people from the community known as the Town Team, to help make funding decisions to Ealing Council. To know more about who the Town Team is, please go to Southall Town Team. 

The Town Team will only use this information to assess your application and may contact you to request additional information. For more details on how the information you share with us will be  stored, used, retained and restricted please read the Data Sharing Privacy Notice

The Town Team will review your application and may get in touch for more information.

The town team have set up an opportunity to meet applicants in person on Thursay 14th January 2027 from 6.30pm in The Dominion Centre, 112 The green, UB2 4BQ. Please do keep this date free in your busy calendars so you can attend. More details will be sent to applicants once the application date has passed.

We will let applicants know if they are successful or not by the Friday 12 February  2027.

Yes, the Town Team will ask you for a short report or feedback at the end, including how the money was spent and what difference it made.  This will be as simple as possible. In some instances, the Town Team may wish to visit your project and will arrange a date and time with you. Take photos if possible and think about ways that you might want to share the story of your brilliant work.

If you need help with your application you can call 07841591236 , or email dosomething@ealing.gov.uk and put Southall Community Fund in the subject line and someone will arrange to help you.

Alternatively, if you want to speak to someone in person, there will be a list of locations, dates and times when the Town team will be available to answer questions.

Yes, we would be excited to have applications from young people directly. However, if you are under 18, to receive funding you will need to have a sponsor parent/ guardian or organisation, such as a youth group or school.  This means they will be able to safely hold the money. If you need help or support with this, get in touch, as the Town Team are happy to help.

Alternatively, if you want to speak to someone in person, we have shared a list of locations, dates and times when the Town team will be available to answer questions.