The Community Connections Fund offers grants to community-led projects that help local communities thrive. The fund raises money through the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Levy (NCIL), which is a tax on property developers. This tax ensures that the communities where developments happen see the benefits of investment in the borough.
Councillor Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Housing, Investment and New Homes said: “The first round of funding for the Community Connections Fund was a huge success, where we supported 13 Lambeth organisations with a total of £800,000. We have finalised the organisations of the second round and have committed £1.5 million to 31 organisations.
“Each organisation’s project offers something unique and different, contributing to a diverse range of projects across four Lambeth neighbourhoods each one delivering towards the outcomes of the Lambeth 2030 Borough Plan. The Community Connections Fund is also a crucial part of the Lambeth Growth Plan, our ambitious 10-year blueprint for delivering inclusive and sustainable growth across the borough.”
The second round opened for applications in July 2024 for 8 weeks. Following feedback from the first round it included the introduction of smaller Development grants of up to £10,000 to support capacity building and idea testing as well as Project Grants of between £10,000 and £200,000. The process was highly competitive receiving over 200 applications requesting over £15million in funding.
The evaluation process to determine the successful applicants included input from councillors, council officers, the Youth Council and other young people with lived experience, ensuring that we featured diverse opinions in our decision.
One of the projects funded by the second round is the Windrush Untold Stories project, delivered by the Empathy Museum, Friends of Windrush Square, Photofusion, Black Cultural Archives and Born or Made. Working closely with residents, the organisations created a free “living exhibition” in the heart of Windrush Square, which featured large-scale portraits of Windrush elders and their descendants. Each portrait is accompanied by audio recordings sharing their lived experiences and reflections on community and belonging.
The fund is also supporting Van Gogh House to deliver their Festival of Encounters in September 2025 — a free, hyperlocal festival of 40 talks and public events that will take place across 32 venues in northern Brixton. The festival brings together artists, writers, activists, and community voices in both conventional and unconventional locations, making the arts more accessible to the community.
For more information about funded projects, visit the Community Connections Fund website
