The Grants Overview and Scrutiny Sub-committee was scheduled to meet on 9 September 2025, to discuss the allocation of funding from the Wandsworth Grant Fund (WGF). The report pack included details of 15 eligible applications, requesting a total of £130,932. Council officers assessed these applications and made recommendations for grant awards.

Wandsworth Grant Fund Round 30

The Public reports pack 09th-Sep-2025 19.00 Grants Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee.pdf included a report by the Assistant Chief Executive, Jon Evans, regarding Round 30 of the WGF.

The WGF was established to integrate a number of the council's small grant schemes. The report pack stated that all applications are required to secure the endorsement of a Ward Councillor, or two if the project is Borough-wide.

The report pack noted that the baseline amount of funding available to be allocated in 2025/26 was £319,500. It stated that in total, 15 eligible applications were received requesting a total of £130,932, and that officer recommendations totalled £70,912 to eight organisations.

The report pack stated that the aim of the WGF is to support not-for-profit activities which benefit residents and communities of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It noted that seven themes have been defined to guide the kinds of activity the WGF will support:

• Arts and Culture
• Children and Young People
• Environment and Attractive Neighbourhoods
• Citizenship and Civic Engagement
• Health and Well Being
• Achieving Aspiration and Potential

The report pack stated that grant applications were invited according to three size bands:

• Small grant £500 £1,000, limited to applicants with income of less than £100,000, no match funding required.
• Intermediate grant £1,000 £5,000 limited to applicants with income of less than £250,000, 10% match funding required.
• Main grant £5,000 £10,000, no income limit, 25% match funding required.

The report pack included a summary of recommendations for all applications, and individual summary assessments for each application.

The report pack stated that to measure the success of the delivery of grant projects, the council needs to have information from each of the projects it supports. It noted that 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.

The report pack stated that the Grants Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee would make recommendations on each application for approval by subsequent delegated authority as a non-key decision to the Assistant Chief Executive.

Applications for funding

The report pack contained details of the 15 applications that were considered for funding. These included:

1. Ardhmeria: A request for £9,800 for the Albanian Supplementary School project, which would provide a supplementary school for children of Albanian heritage living in Wandsworth. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillor Maurice McLeod endorsed this application. > I am writing in support of Ardhmeria and the Albanian Supplementary School Network's application for funding to enhance its provision for children of Albanian heritage in Wandsworth.
2. Art & Soul: A request for £9,323 for the Bridging Divides project, which would deliver art therapist-led Art-for-Wellbeing workshops at the Alton Arts Hub for adults experiencing mental health challenges from the Alton Estate and surrounding areas in Wandsworth. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillor Matthew Tiller endorsed this application. > The work that Art & Soul are doing looks excellent, and I would be glad to endorse your application for the Wandsworth Grant Fund.
3. Blink Dance Theatre: A request for £9,958 for the Space 52 Sensory Hub for health and wellbeing of people labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities project, which would support adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and their unpaid carers in Wandsworth by creating a community-led sensory hub at Space 52, New Mansion Square, Nine Elms. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillor Matthew Corner endorsed this application. > Thanks so much for sharing - happy to endorse. Good luck and let me know if you need anything else.
4. Cooking Up: A request for £2,033 for the Ashburton Estate Pilot project, which would support Wandsworth residents living on the Ashburton Estate in West Putney by delivering cookery classes at The Yard in partnership with South West London Vineyard. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillors Steffi Sutters and Nick Austin endorsed this application. > As a councillor for West Putney and a keen amateur cook myself, I am delighted to offer my full and unequivocal support for the Cooking Up pilot project on the Ashburton Estate.
5. Craft Forward: A request for £4,600 for the Men Can Knit at 575 Wandsworth Road project, which would support men living in Wandsworth who are experiencing loneliness or mental health challenges by offering a 'Men Can Knit' workshop series at 575 Wandsworth Road. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillor Stephen Worrall endorsed this application. > Such projects are a useful way to bring together men to deal with issues and isolation.
6. Enable: A request for £10,000 for the Cardiac Screening pilot project, which would support children and young people through free cardiac screening events planned in Roehampton, Battersea, and Tooting. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillors Graeme Henderson and Judi Gasser endorsed this application. > I am pleased to support this proposal to screen young people for cardiac problems.
7. Honeypot Children's Charity: A request for £10,000 for the Short Breaks for Young Carers from Wandsworth project, which would support young carers aged 5–12 from Wandsworth by offering residential breaks at Honeypot House in the New Forest and a Memory Making Day. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillors Sheila Boswell and Sarah Davies endorsed this application. > I'm delighted to endorse Honeypot's application to Wandsworth's Grant Fund... In my role as Chair Children's Committee here at Wandsworth Council I am acutely aware that respite care is a vital lifeline for our young carers.
8. Katherine Low Settlement: A request for £10,000 for the Move and Munch Club project, which would support older Wandsworth residents aged 60+ who are mildly frail or vulnerable, by offering chair-based dance exercise classes at Katherine Low Settlement in Battersea. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillors Caroline de La Soujeole and Jessica Lee endorsed this application. > I'd be delighted to support the application.
9. Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Wandsworth: A request for £8,120 for the Learn & Grow project, which would support young people aged 11–15 in Wandsworth through weekly, youth-led sessions including cooking, shared meals, and interactive lessons in nutrition, budgeting, and food safety. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillors Simon Hogg and Sana Jafri endorsed this application. > Thank you for sharing your proposal - it looks great. I'm keen to endorse it.
10. Motivez: A request for £10,000 for the Sustainable Wandsworth project, which would support young people in Wandsworth by developing green and STEM skills through mentoring, hackathons, and workshops, in collaboration with employers like TfL¹, Govia Thameslink, Axel Arigato and others. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillors Caroline de La Soujeole and Jamie Colclough endorsed this application. > The project is designed to inspire and equip young people with the skills and tools to become active contributors to Wandsworth's vision of becoming the greenest inner-city borough by 2030.
11. Nightingale Hammerson: A request for £7,500 for the Dementia Café at Nightingale Hammerson project, which would support elderly Wandsworth residents with dementia and their carers by running a fortnightly Dementia Café at Nightingale House, Balham. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillor Jo Rigby endorsed this application. > Dementia severely reduces the quality of life for those suffering from it and their carers. There is so little support for them in our community.
12. Rosslyn Park FC: A request for £9,770 for the Free Mondays – Open Pitch and Gym sessions project, which would support local children aged 11–16 from Roehampton and the Lennox Estate by providing weekly, free, supervised sports and gym sessions at Rosslyn Park Rugby Club. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillors Graeme Henderson and Jenny Yates endorsed this application. > I fully support this application which is providing 22 x Monday evening coached sessions on their 3G and/or gym facilities for up to x 50 11–16-year-olds who don't have regular access to similar facilities.
13. The Educatch Charity: A request for £10,000 for the Earth to Plate project, which would support Wandsworth residents aged 18+ with learning disabilities, autism, or related needs by delivering practical food education at Tooting Works, Bickersteth Road. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillor Sean Lawless endorsed this application. > Happy to endorse.
14. Voices of Hope: A request for £9,828 for the BRITE Box project, which would support Wandsworth families at Alton Primary School in Roehampton by delivering weekly meal kits with nutritious ingredients and child-friendly recipes. The officer assessment summary recommended this application. Councillor Jenny Yates endorsed this application. > This project is really important and badly needed. The Alton Estate is the most deprived part of Wandsworth and many children at the Alton primary school are eligible for free school meals... so there is food poverty on the estate.
15. Wandsworth Bereavement Service: A request for £10,000 for the Integrated Bereavement Support Groups – Peer and Clinical Models project, which would support adults with structured bereavement support in accessible venues across Battersea and Tooting. The officer assessment summary did not recommend this application. Councillor Stephen Worrall endorsed this application. > Bereavement is often a very difficult and isolating time. Dealing with significant loss can be a traumatic process, where considerable support is needed.