London Eye Community Chest 2026-2027
The 2026/2027 London Eye Community Chest Programme for Waterloo and the South Bank is now open for applications. This fund supports projects that help to build community and strengthen community resilience in the local area. See this map of the area covered. Projects must be primarily for the benefit of people living or attending an educational institution in this area, though people from nearby areas may also take part. Projects working with those in need will be especially welcome, but so will projects that more generally encourage strong, connected, vibrant and active communities. For typical examples of projects previously funded by the London Eye Community Chest click here.
Who may apply. If you are a charity or formally constituted community or residents’ group you are eligible to apply for a project grant of between £1,000 and £10,000. You must be either based in the area of benefit (or close to it) or have a good history of working in the area. If you are an informal or non-constituted community group or a private individual you can apply for a grant of up to £1,000 as long as you have the agreement of a constituted organisation to work with you (see more details below). The total amount available for distribution is £70,000. Please apply for no more than is needed for your project so that we can support as many proposals as possible.
Informal, non-constituted community groups and individuals
If you are an informal, non-constituted organisation or an individual with a project proposal, you may apply (up to £1,000) as long as a formally constituted group or not-for-profit organisation has agreed to assist you. They will receive and manage the grant and provide support to you in managing the project’s delivery and expenditure. They would also agree to offer additional support in areas such as safeguarding, insurance, liability, and monitoring, helping navigate these aspects to ensure compliance and mitigate any potential risks or issues that may arise during the project.
We are keen to encourage new projects as well as to support successful existing ones, and applications for smaller projects will be treated as seriously as larger ones.
Exclusions
Projects proposals will not be supported that have political or religious aims or involve campaigning for policy, planning, or other objectives. Also excluded are projects which are primarily for personal benefit, or for funding of ongoing overheads, salaries and already incurred expenditure. Where a project meets the objectives of the Community Chest, grants may include reasonable payments to individuals for the delivery of the project. These will need to be set out in the application.
Other considerations
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Applications may be for both capital and revenue funding for projects.
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There is no requirement for projects to have matched funding, but if additional funding is required on top of a Community Chest grant, this must already be in place.
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Projects must be completed not later than 31 December 2027.
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All projects must agree to submit an interim report on progress at the mid-point of the project, and a final report on what has been achieved, information about which may be publicly reported by SoWN and Merlin Entertainments (for the London Eye).
The Deadline for Submissions is 11pm on Monday 19 October 2026. Decisions will be made by a panel drawn from the local area and their decision will be final. The aim will be to decide and communicate which projects have been accepted, within 4-5 weeks of that date.
Advice on preparing applications: If you require advice about the application process please email: ccgrants@sowneighbours.org as soon as possible and not later than 10 October.
TO APPLY
To apply, please click on the APPLICATION button below and complete the form. If you have any questions, please contact: ccgrants@sowneighbours.org
IMPORTANT NOTE: This application uses Google Forms. If you have a Google account, your answers will be automatically saved, so you can close and return to the form later (by reopening it from the web page) before submitting it. If you do not have a Google account the form will give you a prompt to do so (it is free). If you don’t wish to do so, you will need to complete and submit the form in one sitting as closing the form will not save what you have entered. Download the questions by clicking here to help you prepare your submission.
