Who can apply?
For community partners, applicants must be not-for-profit organisations. This includes properly constituted voluntary or community groups, registered charities or social enterprises. Organisational eligibility guidance on this can be found here.
School funding
Only state schools in Lambeth are eligible for funding. Please note 2026/27 will be the last year of school grants in this current form. More details of how to apply can be found here. If you wish to help us as we develop and consult on our new school model, please contact the grants team for more information.
What about Anchor Grants?
Our new ‘anchor grants’ will consist of up to 6 years of funding and will provide stability to partners who are an essential part of the Lambeth ecosystem. This new opportunity will be rolled out in 2026/27, and it is expected that 2 new anchor partnerships will be established each year.
Applying for (or accessing) a 'catalyst' or 'strategic' grant in the open grant round does not exclude organisations from receiving an anchor grant in the future.
Walcot 'Priorities'
Following a review of our grant-making processes, we will no longer use ‘priorities’. Instead, we will be looking for partners who align strongly with our mission, vision and values.
We exist to champion Lambeth’s young people — particularly those navigating the toughest circumstances - and to build a borough where every young person has the opportunity to thrive.
Our values are:
Compassionate — We care about the residents of Lambeth. We listen, understand and respond to differences positively. We are approachable, accessible and flexible.
Collaborative — We believe working with others strengthens us all to change lives.
Curious — We seek to be informed about the challenges of the local community, to be relevant and to maximise the impact of our work.
Responsible — We balance the needs of current and future generations through the thoughtful stewardship of our endowment and resources.
You can read more about these in our 5-year strategy.
Core Vs Project Grants
We offer a mix of core/unrestricted funding and project funding for both catalyst and strategic grants. All anchor grants are core funding. School grants are made for project funding.
Core funding will only be available to organisations which focus their work on children, young people and families and who can demonstrate that at least two-thirds of their beneficiaries are Lambeth residents.
Organisations that do not meet this threshold (i.e national organisations running local projects) are still eligible for project-specific funding focused on Lambeth.
Applicants do not need to select a grant ‘type’ when applying and being considered for one grant type does not qualify or exclude partners from another route/type of grant in the future.
Organisations will be considered for the funding route that best matches:
Application and Reporting
Following expressions of interest, we will ask some organisations to complete a more detailed proposal, which could take the form of a written application, presentation or video. We hope the process will be simpler, more accessible and with greater flexibility offered to partners.
End-of-year reporting will be replaced by a mix of conversation, peer sharing and learning. This will be a less rigid process than before, with more dialogue and reflection built in throughout the duration of the partnership. We will discuss the details of this with each new partner individually to agree on a process and approach that would best reflect their work and which will be most helpful to their organisation.
Timeframes and Next Steps
Our 'open' grant round opens in the Spring each year. We will next be open in 2027. We will provide more information about the exact dates and processes closer to the time.
If you would like to have an informal chat about an opportunity or potential partnership before then, please make contact with the grants team.
For community partners, applicants must be not-for-profit organisations. This includes properly constituted voluntary or community groups, registered charities or social enterprises. Organisational eligibility guidance on this can be found here.
School funding
Only state schools in Lambeth are eligible for funding. Please note 2026/27 will be the last year of school grants in this current form. More details of how to apply can be found here. If you wish to help us as we develop and consult on our new school model, please contact the grants team for more information.
What about Anchor Grants?
Our new ‘anchor grants’ will consist of up to 6 years of funding and will provide stability to partners who are an essential part of the Lambeth ecosystem. This new opportunity will be rolled out in 2026/27, and it is expected that 2 new anchor partnerships will be established each year.
Applying for (or accessing) a 'catalyst' or 'strategic' grant in the open grant round does not exclude organisations from receiving an anchor grant in the future.
Walcot 'Priorities'
Following a review of our grant-making processes, we will no longer use ‘priorities’. Instead, we will be looking for partners who align strongly with our mission, vision and values.
We exist to champion Lambeth’s young people — particularly those navigating the toughest circumstances - and to build a borough where every young person has the opportunity to thrive.
Our values are:
Compassionate — We care about the residents of Lambeth. We listen, understand and respond to differences positively. We are approachable, accessible and flexible.
Collaborative — We believe working with others strengthens us all to change lives.
Curious — We seek to be informed about the challenges of the local community, to be relevant and to maximise the impact of our work.
Responsible — We balance the needs of current and future generations through the thoughtful stewardship of our endowment and resources.
You can read more about these in our 5-year strategy.
Core Vs Project Grants
We offer a mix of core/unrestricted funding and project funding for both catalyst and strategic grants. All anchor grants are core funding. School grants are made for project funding.
Core funding will only be available to organisations which focus their work on children, young people and families and who can demonstrate that at least two-thirds of their beneficiaries are Lambeth residents.
Organisations that do not meet this threshold (i.e national organisations running local projects) are still eligible for project-specific funding focused on Lambeth.
Applicants do not need to select a grant ‘type’ when applying and being considered for one grant type does not qualify or exclude partners from another route/type of grant in the future.
Organisations will be considered for the funding route that best matches:
- The nature and scale of their proposed work
- Their organisational development stage
- Their current circumstances
Application and Reporting
Following expressions of interest, we will ask some organisations to complete a more detailed proposal, which could take the form of a written application, presentation or video. We hope the process will be simpler, more accessible and with greater flexibility offered to partners.
End-of-year reporting will be replaced by a mix of conversation, peer sharing and learning. This will be a less rigid process than before, with more dialogue and reflection built in throughout the duration of the partnership. We will discuss the details of this with each new partner individually to agree on a process and approach that would best reflect their work and which will be most helpful to their organisation.
Timeframes and Next Steps
Our 'open' grant round opens in the Spring each year. We will next be open in 2027. We will provide more information about the exact dates and processes closer to the time.
If you would like to have an informal chat about an opportunity or potential partnership before then, please make contact with the grants team.