Discover Young Hackney Small Grants Scheme 2023

Hackney Council supports this exciting cultural offer through its small awards scheme, a marketing campaign and additional outreach support. 

Who can apply?

Not-for-profit organisations are invited to apply for an award in order to run activities during Discover Young Hackney 2023

Not-for-profit organisations must be based in, or working in the London Borough of Hackney. Proposals can be an extension of existing activity to be included under the Discover Young Hackney umbrella and should signpost participants to further opportunities.

Activity should be held at an accessible venue and we will consider access costs presented in your budget.

Activities must be free to attend or at a low cost.

Partnerships between organisations are welcome as we are keen to encourage skills sharing. The ‘lead organisation’ in a partnership application is the applicant. The lead applicant cannot submit more than one application. Individuals cannot apply for funding, however, they may work in partnership with an organisation. Please speak with us first before submitting your application if your partnership includes an individual.

We will ask successful organisations to sign a written agreement with Hackney Council. The document will set out the terms and conditions of the award.

Successful applicants will need to ensure their project is ready to be promoted by July 2023.

Please note that risk assessments, Child Protection conditions, applications for licenses and public liability insurance will be the responsibility of the grant recipient. We do not fund activities retrospectively. 

How much can applicants apply for?

Applications can be made for awards between £500 and £5,000 and must include participatory and learning outcomes for young people. We expect smaller projects to apply for awards of up to £2,000. Smaller projects are defined as projects that are delivered by an individual organisation.

Larger projects can apply for between £3,000 and £5,000. Larger projects would be led in partnership with other organisations or would focus on the longer term. We also expect all applications to include a minimum match-funding of 10% of the overall project costs, in-kind or in cash. 

When do the activities need to be delivered?

All projects must be delivered between 1 August 2023 to 1 September 2023.

What will we fund?

Arts and cultural activities under the award scheme can include events, pilot projects, taster sessions, workshops (multiple dates accepted). Applicants will need to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and commitment to the needs of young people and deliver high-quality activities for those ages 13-19 (up to 25 with SEND). 

Please note that making an application is not a guarantee of funding. We expect more applications under this awards scheme than we are able to fund.

Therefore, we seek applications that meet all of the following criteria: 

●Offer a high-quality arts experience that meets the objectives and priorities of the fund during the Discover Young Hackney period between Tuesday, 1 August 2023 to Thursday, 1 September 2023

●Target young people:

• aged 13-19, and those up to age 25 with additional needs in the transition into adulthood

• Who live, work or learn in Hackney

● Offer good value for money, accurate budgets and realistic outputs and outcomes 

● Support activity to broaden young people’s experience of different art forms, practices and traditions and provide a route for progression 

● Plan to actively market activities and regularly use social media to engage young people 

● Can provide evaluation feedback with photos and demographic information of participants in the provided forms.

Applications may be refused or a lower award than requested may be offered if you cannot demonstrate how you plan to spend the amount you have applied for.

Please note that the grant amount awarded to a successful applicant is final following the issuing of a grant offer letter.

Eligibility criteria