Welcome to the Kings Coronation Youth Fund commissioning prospectus
The council delivers and supports a wide range of activities aimed at enabling residents to get involved in high quality arts, culture and physical activity, in support of our key objectives and in line with our values.
This fund specifically seeks to improve the lives of young people 0-25 living in the borough, by providing high quality opportunities for them to experience culture and physical activity in their communities. The intention is to inspire young people, develop their skills and interest, acknowledge their achievements and provide them with clearly identified pathways to take their passions to the next level.
Evidence suggests there are many benefits to participating in leisure activities. For younger children, early access to a wide range of activities enriches their lives and encourages social skills. For older young people, it could also lead to a lifelong interest or hobby, to further study, a career in the local innovation economy or be the means to improve their wellbeing, confidence and pride.
I am delighted that the council is able to use its resources in order to set our children and young people on this course and look forward to learning about the projects that are proposed.
Yours
Cllr Sharon Holder
Cabinet Member for Public Realm
About this scheme
To coincide with the coronation of King Charles III, Hammersmith & Fulham Council have created a dedicated fund to support young people to live full and rewarding lives through participation in cultural activities and to take part in physical activities which support their wellbeing.
Opportunities for young people continue to be a priority for the council. Through this scheme, we are seeking to commission culture and sport activities for young people in Hammersmith & Fulham, aged 0-25, which help us to achieve the ambitions of our cultural strategy, council plan and Upstream London industrial strategy and support the priorities of our forthcoming Active Wellbeing strategy.
The scheme has different criteria for culture and sports, different deadlines and funding levels. Please make sure that you read the guidance carefully and take account of the requirements set out based on the activities you plan to deliver.
We are committed to being accessible. If you experience or anticipate any barriers within the application process or require help to make an application or access our services and information, please contact us at KCYF@lbhf.gov.uk.
Commissioning is the process of identifying organisations and projects to help us deliver the outcomes we want to see. We award project grants towards the cost of activities which we believe will help us to achieve the outcomes we want in the most effective way. For the Kings Coronation Youth Fund, all of the funded activities must be completed before the end of December 2026.
Through this scheme, we are seeking to commission arts & culture and sport activities for young people in Hammersmith & Fulham, aged 0-25, which help us to achieve the ambitions of our cultural strategy, council plan and Upstream London industrial strategy.
Application closing date
Monday 16 June 2025
Who can apply?
Applicants must be a not-for-profit, constituted arts or grass roots sports organisation able to satisfy the requirements of good governance, high quality delivery and safe practice.
Eligibility checklist
The applicant must:
- be an organisation with a formally agreed set of rules by which you operate. It is not necessary to be a registered charity, the applicant could be an unincorporated association, Community Interest Company or charitable company limited by guarantee). Your rules must make clear that any surplus generated by your activities is reinvested in the organisation and not distributed to shareholders.
- be based in the borough because we want to grow local capacity and a stronger sector. This provides a quality assurance and improves the likelihood of sustaining participation after the project ends.
- for arts, applicants should have arts as the main purpose of their organisation, according to their governing document.
- for sport, be led by a sports club based in the borough and have strong links to relevant community organisations.
not be in receipt of any council funding for the activity applied for. - have no reporting requirements outstanding for any previous funding from the council.
- be able to demonstrate the impact of any previous award from the council.
- have a trading record of at least a year (including one set of annual accounts.
- engage appropriately qualified staff for delivery.
- have a bank account in the name of your organisation, requiring the signatures of two people on your Board or management committee who must not be related or living at the same address.
- have the necessary insurance for the activity proposed, including public liability insurance.
- have policies in place for:
o safeguarding
o financial procedures
o whistleblowing
o health and safety
o equalities
Applicants may apply on behalf of a partnership, provided that the lead applicant meets the criteria for eligibility above and there is a clear partnership agreement signed between the parties.
If you cannot tick each of these criteria, we are sorry but you will not be eligible and your application will not be considered.
Advice from us
We strongly recommend that all applicants arrange an advice surgery with a member of the team before applying for funding. The advice surgery process aims to assist potential applicants in strengthening their programme ideas against the commissioning criteria prior to submission.
If you have not had funding from us before, we will not accept an application unless you have had an advice surgery first. This is to ensure that you get advice early in the process so that you have the best chance of meeting the criteria and do not waste time or money in preparing a proposal that will not be eligible for support.
Applicants that will not be a priority
You will not be a priority for funding if:
- your organisation is not registered within the borough boundary, as one of our aims is to support the growth of local organisations
- your organisation is in receipt of other funding from the council, as we have limited resources and try to broaden the impact and benefit of our funds
- your organisation cannot demonstrate sound financial health, as we want to ensure our funds are used only to support the activities we are seeking
- you have previously received a grant from us which has not been managed satisfactorily or delivered the activities which were proposed, as we have a duty to ensure that public money is used properly.
We can only support costs that are for specified items of expenditure on goods (products) or services (time) that will be used to deliver activities that meet the criteria of the scheme.
Projects we cannot fund
We cannot fund:
- activities which have already happened, or are going to happen before the decision date for the grant application
- equipment which your organisation will keep and use after the programme has finished, for example, cameras, computers, furniture and fittings for venues, vehicles, or for constructing, repairing or maintaining a building (small grants are available for capital through the council's third sector funding scheme)
- fundraising activities, events or prizes put on only to raise general money for your organisation, for example a charity auction or raffle
- school or college courses
- activities promoting religious or political beliefs
- proposals for delivery through the award of grant funding to third parties
- proposals that do not deliver arts or sports activities for children and young people in the borough aged 0-25.
What you can apply for funding towards
You can apply for funding towards time-limited, cultural or physical activity projects involving young people 0-25 which:
- are taking place between July 2025 and December 2026
- require council funding in order to happen
- are not duplicating any existing provision
- are building local partnerships and responding to local residents
- are for culture, incorporating a public-facing element to take place between 1 March and 30 September 2026 as part of a borough-wide celebration of young people's cultural and creative achievements
- include a process for recognition of achievement, eg through Arts Award or digital badge
- have a clear progression route for young people to extend their experience and engagement
- request between £10k and £50k with most awards expected to be at the lower end
- require at least 10% of the total project cost from other sources (of which half could be in kind, and at least half in cash).
Activities must
- be led by appropriately qualified professionals, paid at recognised rates
- be co-designed with H&F residents to ensure they are relevant to local needs
- be time-limited and finish by the end of December 2026
- demonstrate genuine partnerships.
Funding towards cultural activities
To apply for funding towards cultural activities you should demonstrate how your project meets the criteria of the scheme, set out below.
Essential criteria for culture funding
Your project must:
- be artistically led
- ensure that activities are led by appropriately qualified staff
- be informed by the H&F Cultural Strategy - Where Culture Connects
- have defined outcomes (you must tell us the measurable outputs you expect from your activities). See targets for participation forms below, for the information we routinely collect.
Desirable criteria for culture funding
Your project will be more of a priority for funding if you can show how it will:
- lever in additional funding over the life span of the programme
- have the potential to embed the local voice in future developments
- include clear plans for young people taking part to progress to further opportunities locally, in order to sustain and develop their participation
- provide paid shadow artist/arts leader opportunities (aged 18+) to work alongside professional artist(s)/arts leader(s)
- have the potential to be embedded in the cultural offer of the locality beyond the lifespan of the programme
- celebrate the area and its communities
Please note that in deciding the awards, we aim for a portfolio of funded projects which balances the age groups, geography, accessibility and artforms.
Where your project has weaknesses which could be addressed through conditions of grant aid, prior to commencement, this will be taken into account.
How much culture funding is available?
The total grant funding available for activities under this scheme is £400,000 for culture which will be awarded in a single round. Grants are available between £10,000 and £50,000 with most awards expected to be at the lower end. We reserve the right to offer a grant below the amount requested. You are advised to seek advice from officers in the team before developing your application.
All applications must include funding of at least 10% of the total project cost from sources other than the council. These can be a combination of in-kind and in cash support. A higher contribution of cash from other sources is expected for larger awards.
Key dates for culture funding
- Roadshows: Roadshow #1 Fulham Library (21 May, 1pm)
- Roadshow #2 Hammersmith Library (22 May, 2pm)
- Advice surgery days: Available on Tuesdays and Thursdays – please get in touch to book
- Application closing date: Monday 16 June 2025
- Grant decision date: wc 14 July 2025
- Showcasing of output: between 1 March and 30 September 2026
- Deadline for the submission of project evaluations, final income and expenditure summaries and monitoring information will be 31 December 2026.
You will need to submit a plan for evaluating your project; advice is available from us or you can download this guidance from Arts Council England
Delivery
Activities may begin once paperwork has been signed and any grant conditions agreed have been met.
Payment
Grants will normally be paid in instalments and 10% of the grant will be retained until all outstanding information has been received.
Funding towards sport and physical activities
You can apply for funding towards sport and physical activities for children and young people 0-25 living in the borough as participants and/or leaders.
To apply for funding towards sport & physical activities you should demonstrate how your project meets the criteria of the scheme, set out below.
Essential criteria for sports funding
Your project must:
- be led by a sports club based in the borough and have strong links to relevant community organisations
- have a prime focus on opportunities for children and young people to take part in physical activity or to participate in organised sport (including adaptive sport)
- ensure that activities are led by appropriately qualified staff
- focus on improving the active wellbeing of children and young people
- provide strong positive role models, through mentoring and coaching
- have defined outcomes (you must tell us the measurable outputs you expect from your activities). See targets for participation forms below, for the information we routinely collect.
Desirable criteria for sports funding
Your project will be more of a priority for funding if you can show how it will:
- address the needs of groups who are currently less physically active
- lever in additional funding over the lifespan of the programme
- have the potential to embed local voice in future developments
- include clear plans for young people taking part to progress to further opportunities locally, in order to sustain and develop their participation
- include a process for recognition of achievement, eg through Sports Award or digital badge
- provide paid opportunities for shadow sports leaders (aged 18+) to work alongside experienced professionals
- have the potential to be embedded in the active wellbeing offer of the locality beyond the lifespan of the programme
Please note that in deciding the awards, we aim for a portfolio of funded projects which balances the age groups, geography, accessibility and sports disciplines.
Where your project has weaknesses which could be addressed through conditions of grant aid, prior to commencement, this will be taken into account.
How much funding is available for sports projects?
The total grant funding available for activities under this scheme is £400,000 for sport and physical activity, which will be awarded over two grant rounds.
Grants are available between £10,000 and £50,000. We expect most awards to be at the lower end. You are advised to seek advice from officers in the team before developing your application. Criteria for Round Two may be updated to reflect work which is currently under way to finalise an Active Wellbeing strategy for the borough.
All applications must include funding of at least 10% of the total project cost from sources other than the council. These can be a combination of in-kind and in cash support. A higher contribution of cash from other sources is expected for larger awards.
Key dates for sport and physical activites funding
Round one
- Scheme opens: Monday 26 May 2025
- Roadshow #1 Thursday 5 June 12pm Linford Chrsitie Stadium
- Roadshow #2 Friday 6th June 11am Linford Christie Stadium
- Online advice surgeries: Available on Thursdays and Fridays
- Application closing date: Monday 23 June 2025 at 10am
- Grant decision date: wc 4 August 2025
- Deadline for the submission of project evaluations, final income & expenditure summaries and monitoring information will be 31 December 2026.
You will need to submit a plan for evaluating your project; advice is available from us or you can download this guidance from Arts Council England
Round two
Round two will be open with updated guidance in September 2025
Delivery
Activities may begin once paperwork has been signed and any grant conditions agreed have been met.
Payment
Grants will normally be paid in instalments and 10% of the grant will be retained until all outstanding information has been received.
Roadshows
- Roadshows: Roadshow #1 Fulham Library (21 May, 1pm)
- Roadshow #2 Hammersmith Library (22 May, 2pm)
Application forms
Application closing date: Monday 16 June 2025
Targets for participation forms
Contact us
We know that you may have questions about the forms, the scheme, what is required to evidence your application or how best to explain your activities.
Advice surgeries will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, please get in touch to book
If you need further advice or assistance please contact us using the email KCYF@lbhf.gov.uk in plenty of time so that we can help you.