Wandsworth Council is set to allocate grants totalling £70,912 to eight organisations, prioritising youth, arts, and vulnerable residents through Round 30 of the Wandsworth Grant Fund (WGF). The Grants Sub-Committee met on Tuesday, 09 September 2025, to review 15 eligible applications requesting a total of £130,932. Approximately 38% of the applications received were recommended to be funded.

The Wandsworth Grant Fund (WGF) is a practical grants fund for 'not-for-profit' projects and activities benefitting residents and communities of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The funding available through the Wandsworth Grant Fund is invested in community-led projects and services that help the Council to achieve the following key objectives:

  • A fairer Wandsworth
  • A compassionate Wandsworth
  • A more sustainable Wandsworth

The baseline funding for 2025/26 is £319,500. Council officers assess grant applications against criteria including suitability of the applicant; strategic fit with the WGF themes; impact; deliverability; value for money; sustainability; and safeguarding. Safeguarding applicants must provide evidence of policies and procedures being in place, and no funds are released until compliance is satisfied. The baseline funding for 2025/26 is £319,500, with specific allocations for arts and culture initiatives. Final decisions on grant awards are delegated to Assistant Chief Executive, Jon Evans.

To measure the success of the delivery of grant projects, the Council requires information from each of the projects it supports. As stated in the Grant Offer Letter, all organisations that receive a grant from the Wandsworth Grant Fund are asked to complete and return a Project Outcome Report at the end of their project.

Several projects received recommendations for funding, including:

  • Art & Soul: £9,323 to support art therapy workshops for adults experiencing mental health challenges at the Alton Arts Hub. The project, 'Bridging Divides', will culminate in an exhibition at Putney Arts Theatre. Councillor Matthew Tiller said, The work that Art & Soul are doing looks excellent, and I would be glad to endorse your application for the Wandsworth Grant Fund.
  • Blink Dance Theatre: £9,958 for the 'Space 52 Sensory Hub' project, creating a sensory hub for adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and their carers at Space 52, New Mansion Square. BLINK plans to continue running sensory sessions at Space 52 beyond the grant period as part of their core community work. They have long-term access to the venue through a 10-year lease and core staff funded by the Arts Council. The project also helps build sustainability by training learning-disabled artists to support future delivery.
  • Cooking Up: £2,033 to deliver cookery classes for Wandsworth residents living on the Ashburton Estate, promoting healthy eating habits.
  • Honeypot Children's Charity: £10,000 to provide residential breaks and a Memory Making Day for young carers aged 5–12 from Wandsworth.
  • Katherine Low Settlement: £10,000 for the 'Move and Munch Club' project, offering chair-based dance exercise classes and a social club for older Wandsworth residents.
  • Motivez: £10,000 to support young people in developing green and STEM skills through mentoring, hackathons, and workshops at St John Bosco College.
  • Rosslyn Park FC: £9,770 to provide free sports and gym sessions for local children aged 11–16 from Roehampton and the Lennox Estate at Rosslyn Park Rugby Club.
  • Voices of Hope: £9,828 for the 'BRITE Box' project, delivering weekly meal kits with nutritious ingredients and recipes to families at Alton Primary School.

Recommendations were made not to award funding to Ardhmeria, Craft Forward, Enable, Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Wandsworth, Nightingale Hammerson, The Educatch Charity, and Wandsworth Bereavement Service. Specific reasons for each denial can be found in the summary recommendation reports for each organization in the Public reports pack.

The Grants Sub-Committee considered the applications based on suitability, strategic fit, impact, deliverability, value for money, sustainability, and safeguarding. The Public reports pack provides detailed assessments of each application.