The Brent Cross Town Community Fund opened for its seventh year this week (Monday 8 September), and is supporting projects that focus on education, employment and training in Barnet.

Teaming up with Brent Cross Town’s official heat network and Main Energy Centre provider, Vattenfall, this year, we are offering a total of £50,000 in grants. Individual grants are being made available between £3,000 and £10,000 if your group or organisation is based in Barnet and supports its own residents and communities. The full criteria of who can apply for the grants is as follows:

• Informal and formal community groups
• Local charities and local branches of national charities
• Schools and educational organisations
• Not-for-profit organisations
• Residents’ associations
• Social enterprises
• Previous winners

Similar to last year, there will be a judging panel with local partners and community leaders to select a shortlist of projects. Residents will then be invited in November to vote for all the Fund recipients from the shortlist via an online poll. The details of how to participate will be shared as soon as a shortlist is announced.

With construction at Brent Cross Town expected for another two decades with new occupiers and businesses moving into the new neighbourhood, this year’s fund is looking to take this as an opportunity to support the local community with accessing projects that focus on education, skills, employment and training.

 How to apply

Applications to the fund will be made through ActionFunder. This platform enables community groups to apply for funding with an accessible written or video pitch, making it easier to give and get funding. It also means that groups that may not be successful in this funding round have their application made available to other funders. The deadline to apply is Monday 20 October. More information on how to apply can be found here.

About the Brent Cross Town Community Fund

The Brent Cross Town Community Fund started in 2019 and has since supported 57 small charities, community organisations and individuals working to make a positive impact in the local area and has awarded £230,000 to local projects. Now with a successful history of local funding, it is estimated that over 16,000 people in the local community have directly benefited from the fund’s investment. See examples of previous projects that have benefited from Community Fund here.

Brent Cross Town is the new park town at the heart of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme, which is being delivered in partnership between Related Argent and Barnet Council.