1.What are you applying for?
Here you will have 3 choices:
- Ward NCIL Community Delivered Capital Project - Put simply, this is anything that improves a building or a place. You may only apply for projects up to the amount of the fund you applying to (see pages 4-5 for a list of funding available for each ward and read the whole guidance document to understand how the funding will be allocated. If the cost of the project is more than the amount you are applying for, you will need to demonstrate where the rest of the money is coming from, this will be later on in the form. NCIL money cannot be used for seed funding, this means that you will need to have the other funding secured.
- Ward NCIL Revenue Project - A Revenue Project is anything else, for example money for an event or a befriending project.
- Borough-wide NCIL Project - For revenue or capital projects benefitting 3 or more wards. If the project benefits two wards, but not three then apply for Ward ticking the ward that it benefits the most.
1A. For Borough-wide NCIL applications: Please let us know if the Borough-wide project you are applying to deliver is a revenue project, capital project or both (please note this question has been added in response to feedback from workshop participants in order to clarify that both revenue and capital borough-wide projects can be applied for)
1a. For Ward NCIL applications: Which Ward NCIL Fund are you applying to? This is the ward that will benefit the most from your project
2. Select all the wards where your project will be delivered – Applications to the Borough-wide Fund must benefit at least 3 wards. Please let us know which Lewisham wards your project is aimed at. If you are unsure of the ward names then use the map to help you. Remember that Lewisham now has 19 wards. There is no maximum number of wards, so your project can benefit all 19.
2a. Please provide the postcode or postcodes where your project will take place and if you are unable to do this, please explain why – Projects need to take place in Lewisham and if you are applying to a Ward fund then the project must take place and primarily benefit people in the ward you have applied to. Providing a postcode or other location information for where you will deliver your project helps us to make sure Lewisham/ward residents are benefitting from NCIL funding.
3. Has your organisation been set up for at least 12 months?
If you are applying for over £10,000 then your organisation will need to have been established before September 2023. If the organisation is newer than this, then the maximum amount that can be applied for is £10,000.
4. How much NCIL funding are you applying for?
Enter the amount of funding you require from NCIL. Don’t ask for more than what is available for the pot (borough-wide or ward) and make sure you read the above ‘Overview’ and ‘How much can I apply for?’ sections of this guidance document before you apply.
5. Organisation name – Please insert the name of the organisation that is applying for the funding
See our example answers
Throughout the guidance we will use a Befriending project as an example of a revenue project and a Community Centre Kitchen improvements project as an example of a capital project. Be sure to write your own answers when filling in your application.
6. Give a summary of your organisation and what it does (50 words)
We want to know a little about your organisation. Your answer should include:
- what you do and how you work with the local community.
- your aims, why you were set up and who you work with
- If you are based outside of Lewisham, please tell us about your connection to the borough
Answer this question assuming that the assessors know nothing about your organisation (even if you are well known). This answer is limited to 50 words and we may use this text in publicity or on our website if your project is successful. We suggest you draft your answer first.
Example:
We are a small volunteer-led lunch café based at Brockley Community Centre. We started in 2019 and our aim is to address social isolation by providing older people with somewhere to go and something to look forward to during the week in a safe environment where they can forge friendships.
7. Name of project
Think about a name for your project, it could be something simple such as ‘Brockley Befriending Project’ or ‘Kitchen improvements for Catford Community Centre’. It’s entirely up to you. There is no wrong answer here.
8. Please summarise your project (100-150 words)
Once again we suggest that you draft this answer first as it really is important how you answer it. When we summarise the application we will use this summary as a description of the project and if your project is successful, we will publish this text on our website.
You have already introduced your organisation in the previous question, now we want to know why you need the NCIL money and what you want to do. Try to think about your answer in stages, giving us a brief overview including:
- What the issue is
- What qualifies you to tackle it
- What you will do to address it
- How and why it will make a difference
You do not have to go into too much detail as the questions following this are more specific and will require greater detail.
Example:
Our café has been hugely successful, but we want to do more. Many of our users are lonely and just a few hours of social interaction can make a difference to their lives.
We have a great amount of experience of working with older people. The café has been running for 5 years and two of our volunteers have worked for Age UK for many years.
We are often asked if we can put on activities and events, but we have not had the capacity to do so until now.
We will provide events and activities including quizzes, bingo, trips out and chair yoga etc, as well as increase the number of people that can use the service.
We have seen what a difference that we can make to people’s lives and we know that this programme will have a hugely positive impact on our users health and wellbeing.
9. How do you know this project is needed?
You need to be able to demonstrate why this project is needed and why it should receive NCIL money. Try and evidence your answer, you may find the data on the Lewisham Observatory pages useful.
In addition to this, are you already doing work that has identified need? Is there nothing similar locally or if there is, is it over-subscribed? Have you identified something needed as result of feedback from clients or has a new issue come up such as the closure of a community space? Is there an article or a recent report that identifies certain gaps? For example, a report stating a lack of provision for teenagers within the area.
For a small capital project, such as kitchen improvements at a community centre you will need to show why these improvements will make a difference.
As stated, with this question it is vitally important that you evidence your answers so if you want funding for a befriending project then we will need to know if there are similar projects are happening locally, and if there are, do they have a waiting list - i.e. are they over-subscribed? It would also be helpful for us to know if you have been approached about running this project and who have you spoken to about the need for it?
10. What do you plan to do? List up to 5 things you plan to do (your activities) and the target you want to achieve
Remember that this answer requires you to list up to 5 activities and that you are not being assessed on the number of activities you list. Going back to our befriending project, the below is an example of how this question may be answered.
We fully understand that for most capital projects you will not be able to populate as much activity as you can for a revenue project, however, for our Community Centre Kitchen Improvements, below is an example of the type of answer you could give :
11. What difference will your project make? List up to 5 ways in which you expect people’s lives will be improved as a result of the project.
Ultimately this funding is about making a difference, so here we are asking you to provide up to 5 examples of how your project will do this. You will then need to be able tell us how you can evidence these improvements.
The below example is once again for the befriending project.
For the Capital Project try to think about how the improvements will make things easier and how it will make people feel.
12. Who will your project benefit? Who are your service users or audience?
You have told us a little about your project, what you want to do and the differences that you hope that it will make. Here we need to know about who it is aimed at. Is it something for all the community, or is it aimed at a particular group such as young people or parents with tots? By service users we mean people that use the service, so if you are looking for additional funding for an existing project then the service users are the people that already take part.
12a. For revenue projects: How many people will benefit from your project? Please estimate the number of people who will directly benefit from your project, for example the number of service users or people engaging with your activity. If you would like, you can also tell us how many people will indirectly benefit, such as the wider local community or social media followers.
Direct beneficiaries include those directly affected or involved in your project – e.g. the number of workshop attendees or the number of people who will use the new facilities.
Indirect beneficiaries show your wider reach and could include things like the general public in the local area or social media followers. Please give an estimated number for each of these.
Try to give a weekly figure, even if it an estimate.
For the befriending project we know that each session will host up to 30 people and there will be two sessions per week. If it is the same 30 people that go to each session then the answer will be 30, if different people are involved the number will be up to 60.
This question is not required for capital projects.
13. How does the project address the effects of development in Lewisham and make your local area a better place to live?
In the last round of NCIL, this was probably the most difficult question to answer, so we have tried to simplify it. Try to think about the effect that a new development has on the area. It can bring more people in, both to live and to work. It can create more traffic and therefore increase pollution and it can place more demands on local services such as GPs and Schools. But it is not just this, demand for other services can increase and there may now be a waiting list to join a local group.
Try to evidence your answers from sources such as the Lewisham Observatory or the Office of National Statistics
Example 1 Befriending Project:
Loneliness and social isolation can have a significant effect on health as identified by the World Health Organisation as well as national organisations such as Age UK. In 2021, 3.3 million people aged 65 years and over were living alone in England and Wales, this is 30.1 % of the older population. New developments and people living longer means that there is a greater demand on adult social care services meaning that 21% of the council budget will go towards adult social care and commissioning. Our befriending group with its regular activities and day trips will help to reduce social isolation and loneliness, thus improving both mental and physical health and reducing demand for services that are already stretched.
Example 2 Community Centre Kitchen:
Lewisham is in the top 20% most deprived local authorities in England. One in four people working in Lewisham earn less than the Living Wage. With over 20 organisations using the Centre weekly and an average of 250 people walking through the door each day, Catford Community Centre is an integral part of the local community. The new development on the High Street as well as the Cost of Living crisis has increased demand to access the services of many of our organisations that provide support in areas such as youth work, employment training and activities / services for the elderly such as Chair Yoga and befriending. Many of these groups provide refreshments including hot food. The inability to produce hot food on the premises and provide refreshments from a modern fully equipped kitchen is not cost effective as food has to be brought in and therefore it is extremely detrimental to the services that the centre can provide. Being able to provide these services on-site will be extremely beneficial, it will reduce costs, free up staff time and enable the community centre to offer better and more services to the local community.
14. If your project is planning to target particular communities, including people with protected characteristics, please tell us who they are.
If the project is for everyone and is not targeting a particular community then leave this blank and move on to the next question. Otherwise, here we need to know about who it is aimed at. For example, a particular group such as young people or parents with tots. Tick all the boxes which apply, so if your project is aimed at elderly men with a disability, you would tick age, disability and sex.
If your project is aimed at a particular group such as carers or lone parents and the group is not listed, then please tick the ‘other’ box and write who it is aimed at in the space provided.
15. How will you make sure everyone knows about your project and can access it?
This is important as having a really good project is only worthwhile if people are aware that it is taking place and can access it. This is particularly crucial if it is a new project. How will it be advertised and promoted, who will you be engaging with to spread the word? Think about word and mouth, newsletters, posters, partner organisations and social media i.e. Facebook and Twitter etc. What is the best way for you to engage with your target users? If they are elderly then social media is probably not the best method.
16. Lewisham’s Priorities. Our priorities have been decided through public consultation with Lewisham residents, businesses and community groups. Please select ONLY ONE (OR UP TO TWO) Lewisham priorities listed below which best match your project. Tick the box then explain in question 16a how your project supports the priority.
For this question you may find it beneficial to have a look at the Council website where more detail and a breakdown of each priority is provided
Note that the additional priority for Borough-wide NCIL applications, Addressing Inequality, is not listed on the Council website. This priority has been added as an option for Borough-wide NCIL applications to have as their only priority as we understand that supporting some communities, such as those with protected characteristics, sanctuary seekers, and others can be more effective when working across several wards or borough-wide. Borough-wide NCIL applicants can select this or any one or two of the other priorities. Ward NCIL applications may select Addressing Inequality as long as you have already selected another one of the Lewisham Priorities from the list as well.
Once you have studied the priorities have a think about which one or two apply best to your project and tick those that apply. Remember, you only have to tick one or two priorities.
Example 1: The befriending project will fall into the Health and Wellbeing priority and it can be evidenced like this:
Health and wellbeing - Our befriending project is aimed at people aged 65 and over who are lonely and isolated. By giving them the opportunity to regularly leave the home, meet new people and go on trips they will feel less isolated and more supported with access to a network of new friends, many of whom are in a similar situation. This will significantly improve their wellbeing and can contribute to their overall health.
Example 2: Our kitchen improvements at the community centre can fall into three categories, so you will need to pick the two that are the most applicable. Your answers can be evidenced as per below.
A strong local economy – Our community centre is an integral part of the local community and is used by a variety of organisations. Having a fully functional on-site kitchen will help to reduce their costs as food can be prepared on the premises and in addition it will free up valuable time. Finally, the kitchen is an integral part of our offer to the wider community and will therefore benefit the local economy as it can be used at an affordable rate.
Health and Wellbeing – Many of our organisations cater for vulnerable people, people in poverty and some with little access to hot food. Having the facility to provide quality hot food will help to improve the general health and wellbeing of our centre’s users and open the potential to host other organisations that provide a food service for the vulnerable.
Children and Young People – We have several youth groups that use our Centre, being able to provide a hot meal is integral to their health and wellbeing and some of the young people involved do not benefit from regular healthy food in their home.
17. Will you be able to start your project by July 2025?
If No, when do you plan to start your project?
How many months will your project need NCIL funding for?
Have a think about when you would like the project to start, but bear in mind that this funding is for a maximum of 2 years and it must be completed by the end of July 2027.
18. Will the amount you are applying for from NCIL cover the full cost of your project?
Yes, the amount of NCIL funding applied for will fully fund this project
No, NCIL funding will only cover part of the project costs
18a. If you answered NO, How will your project be funded?
The project cost is how much it will cost to deliver what you are planning to do. Is the amount of NCIL that you are requesting covering all the costs or are you contributing some money towards it? This could be funding from another source or existing funds from your own organisation.
NCIL cannot be used for seed funding, this means that you cannot apply for NCIL if you need money that you do not have to deliver the project. You may list your expected funding as confirmed or pending, however if the funding is pending you will need to let us know when you expect to have this confirmed. We will then follow up with you, as needed, when assessing applications.
19. If your project requires additional funding, to what you are applying to NCIL for, please list where the funding is coming from.
This is linked to the above question, tell us who the money is coming from and the amount. You only need to complete this section if your project is part-funded by NCIL.
20. What will you spend the money on?
We expect any salary to be at least the London minimum wage which currently stands at £13.15 per hour. Remember if this is a two year project that this cost is likely to increase.
Example 1: Below is an example of funding for our Befriending Project and this is the level of detail that we would like to see with your answer.
20a. For community delivered capital projects: If your project has any ongoing maintenance costs, please explain what they are and who will take responsibility for them.
We would expect that with most community capital projects work will be covered by guarantee and if maintenance is required then it will be part of the warranty, for example a new boiler will have a service plan. However, this may not always be the case and if it is not then you need to tell us how you will cover this cost and who will be responsible for it.
21. Understanding our expectations of you if you are successful in your NCIL application
Funded organisations will be required to:
- Sign a Grant Agreement between April and June 2025
- Attend one of two mobilisation events likely to be during April to June 2025 (details of what these meetings will involve are below)
- Attend ward assembly meetings to talk about your project
- Complete quarterly monitoring reports and return these to your monitoring officer by the agreed quarterly deadlines
- Send photos and other publicity materials that can be shared to promote the NCIL programme
It is important that you understand that if you receive money from NCIL you know what we expect from you. This is public money and therefore, we have a responsibility to ensure that it is spent correctly and that it is value for money.
Mobilisation meeting
The mobilisation meeting will take place once funding has been agreed, but before your project will commence. It is a requirement that you attend this meeting as this is where we will go through and agree the final details prior to the release of the NCIL funding. This will include: your monitoring requirements and the project start date, as well as any support required. The mobilisation meeting is also an opportunity to meet with your monitoring officers and other funded organisations.
Ward assemblies
All 19 wards in Lewisham have their own ward assembly which will usually meet 3-4 times per year either at a location within the ward or online. The meeting is Chaired by a Ward Councillor and is open to anyone who lives, works or learns in the ward. You will be expected to attend ward assembly meetings to both showcase your project and report back / update the assembly on what you are doing. You will find that the assembly can be a useful tool for your organisation with many attendees having a great deal of local knowledge and who are keen to support you.
Monitoring
The quarterly monitoring is an opportunity for you to report back to the monitoring officer on the work that you are doing, how it is progressing and tell us about any issues that you are having and any support that you require. We want your project to be a huge success and these meetings will help to ensure that it is so by tackling any problems that may arise and providing you with the help that you may need.
Photos are a wonderful opportunity for you to showcase the great work that you are doing, we can share these via our networks and they will also help you to promote what you are doing.
Your Organisation
22. Name of Project Contact:
23. Project Contact Position in Organisation (if applicable):
24. Project Contact Email:
25. Project Contact Phone number:
26. Legal Status
- Registered charity, please provide Charity Registration Number
- Company Limited by Guarantee, please provide Company Registration Number
- CIC, please provide CIC Registration Number
- Cooperative, please provide Cooperative Registration Number
- Unconstituted, please provide details
Other, please provide details
Please tick this box to confirm that you have read and understood the above list of expectations of funded organisations. Failure to comply may result in withdrawal of funding.
27. Does the organisation have a separate bank account?
27a. If No: If your organisation does not have a separate bank account, you may give the name of a registered Lewisham-based organisation (established for at least 12 months) that will act as your fund-holder or an online registered service. If successful, you will be required to complete a formal agreement as part of the grant conditions.
For organisations that have been set up within the last 12 months and do not have a Constitution / Terms of Reference or bank account, the following measures will need to be taken to apply for and receive funding.
The organisation may either:
- Make an arrangement with a charity commission registered organisation that has been in existence for 12 months plus to act as a bank to ‘hold’ and manage the funds
OR
- Use an online service like ‘Accountable’, which acts like a bank and holds money on behalf of your group. Accountable is run by the Social Change Agency CIC and is designed specifically to help community groups who don’t have a bank account. Your group can simply and transparently manage your money using their online platform. Please note there is a fee for this service.
Individual personal bank accounts will not be accepted for receipt of money. Successful applicants will be required to complete a formal agreement as part of the grant conditions.
28. Has the organisation received any grant funding from Lewisham Council in the last three financial years?
28a. If Yes, Which Lewisham Council fund or department have you received funding from in the past three years?
28b. If Yes, Has the organisation's bank details changed in the past three years?
29. In order to comply with our due diligence, please upload your Public Liability Insurance and Safeguarding Policy documents as well as a recent bank statement, if you have one. If you've sent us your most up-to-date Safeguarding policy and bank details in the past 3 years, then you do not need to upload these, but we will still need your most recent Public Liability Insurance document. If you have updated documents to send us, these can be provided at a later date, but this may affect your application and failure to provide these will result in delay to signing of the grant agreement and grant payments if your project is successful. A document upload link will be provided on the online form
30. Please tick to confirm the below documents are held by your organisation:
- Constitution
- GDPR Policy
- Equality & Diversity Policy
- Last 3 Years of Accounts (or most recent 1 or 2 years of accounts for newly established organisations)
- Solo Worker Policy (if applicable)
- Volunteer Policy (if applicable)
- AQS Accreditation/ Quality Mark (if applicable)
We reserve the right to request these within 7 days notice. Failure to provide these may result in delay or withdrawal of grant funding.
Evidencing your answers
For some questions, it may strengthen your answer to provide evidence. This could be examples from your own experience, such as things you’ve learned through the work you’ve done previously. Or this might be evidence from research reports or studies or articles found online. This evidence might show why a project is needed, why an area is lacking some infrastructure or service or why your approach to an issue is worth funding. Be sure to reference the source (publication title and author or website link) when including data or research findings.
Go to the Community Funding website Resources page for some suggested sources of information for evidencing your application answers.