Lewisham Council's Main Grants Programme is set to undergo a significant transformation, pivoting to focus on community infrastructure to better support the voluntary and community sector. The decision was made during a Mayor and Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Councillor Sakina Sheikh, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities, Libraries and Sports, presented the recalibrated programme, which will now concentrate on empowering local organisations through a community infrastructure model. This approach aligns with the council's neighbourhood models and hyper-localised strategies, aiming to ensure that community needs are met at a grassroots level.
The 'community infrastructure model' is described as a recalibration and pivot of the Main Grants Programme to support and empower the voluntary and community sector. It aims to ensure that organisations can continue to provide foundational work, step into gaps left between services, build community, support one another, and create spaces for flourishing. The model aligns with neighbourhood models and hyper-localised approaches, and aims to enable the sector to leverage more funding.
These neighbourhood and hyper-localised models in Lewisham include integrated neighbourhood teams and family hubs. The new grants programme is designed to honour the distinct experiences within different communities in Lewisham, using this diversity as a strength to empower local areas to inform improvements.
The programme will operate through four lead partners: Age UK, Community Connections, Lewisham Local, and other localised organisations within each neighbourhood. These partners will serve as a physical front door for residents seeking support and guidance.
Recognising the potential disruption of this shift, transition grants have been established to support organisations that were previously funded by the Main Grants Programme. Councillor Sheikh expressed her satisfaction that all organisations applying for these transition grants have been successful, with the exception of Montage Theatre Arts. Montage Theatre Arts was the only organisation not successful in securing transition grants because they indicated that actually what they were really after was an endorsement from the council and they've been really monumental in helping us move towards creating a kite mark so we can demonstrate when we endorse organisations that doesn't necessarily have to just be through funding but it can be through a kite mark.
We are really committed to supporting our voluntary and community sector, because we know that they do incredibly foundational work to make sure that people in our borough are supported in many different ways,
Councillor Sheikh stated during the meeting. She added that the pivot to community infrastructure aims to safeguard ways to protect and uplift our voluntary sector
and empower them further.
The council has committed to a two-year review of this new model, with the aspiration of protecting and growing the voluntary and community sector in Lewisham. Councillor James-J Walsh and Councillor Paul Bell both spoke in support of the initiative, acknowledging the challenges and praising the outcome of securing the future of these vital organisations.
