VOLUNTEERING BUILDS COMMUNITIES 

We have £80,000 in funding from NHS North East London ICB’s Health Inequalities Fund to fund local projects. We are distributing this money through our Community Chest.

The Havering Community Chest 2025/26 will open for bids on 1 May 2025.

Local groups can bid for up to £5,000 (£10,000 if you can make a very special case) to run a community project in Havering that meets the following criteria.

• It improves residents’ wellbeing – on any topic that impacts wellbeing, from health checks, to cost of living support, to loneliness and isolation and more.
• It aims to tackle health inequalities – they work with residents pre-disposed to having health and wellbeing challenges.
• It fills a gap in the borough – there isn’t a similar project already running.

The criteria

We are looking for projects that improve residents’ wellbeing, aim to tackle health inequalities, and fill a gap in the borough.

You can bid for new or existing projects.

Projects can be a one off / series of events or a project lasting a number of months. We can’t fund materials alone, they must be linked to a project.

Organisations must have an income of less than £500,000 to bid.

Groups must be one of the following.

• A registered CIC
• Registered CIOs
• Company limited by guarantee
• Cooperative
• Community Benefit Society
• Constituted group / organisation
• A collective of local residents who have come together to make a bid

Groups are welcome to join up to bid together if they wish – contact us to be put in contact with like-minded organisations.

Projects need to be completed by 1 April 2026.

Groups must be running their project in Havering for Havering residents.

Groups can submit multiple bids, but each group will only get funding for 1 project each.

Groups need to already have a good relationship with the target audience they wish to work with / have a plan of how to reach their audience.

Groups can bid for up to £10,000 for a very special case.

You will need to justify why £10,000 is needed and will only be awarded in exceptional circumstances so that we can fund as many projects as possible.

Groups/projects must pass due diligence. This will be project specific and we can talk through what this looks like for your project if it is a concern.

How to apply

You can submit either a 5 minute video or an application form answering the following questions.

1. What project are you planning on doing?
2. Why are you doing it?
3. Why is it needed?
4. Where are you doing it?
5. How much money do you need and what will you spend it on?
6. What difference will this project make for local people?
7. How are you going to reach your target audience?

Applications must be made by 5pm on 30 June 2025.

You will have the option to submit a short video or to answer the same questions in a written format.

If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at livewellhavering@havering.gov.uk