Fund for community projects in Elephant opens for applications

£50,000 fund for community projects in Elephant opens for applications

A £50,000 fund for local projects in Elephant & Castle has opened for applications. Grants ranging from £500 to £10,000 are available for community projects that benefit people who live, work or study in the Elephant & Castle Opportunity Area.

Applicants must show how their project addresses a local need and one of the following themes: Further Education, Skill Building, Training & Entrepreneurship; Arts and Culture; Environment; Young People; Wellbeing. 

The fund was set up in 2012 by Lendlease, the international property and infrastructure group, and Southwark Council to support the local community. They are working in partnership on the delivery of Elephant Park, a £2.5bn regeneration project in the heart of Elephant & Castle.

The fund is managed on their behalf by The London Community Foundation and has donated over £300,000 to the community over the last eight years. One of last year’s recipients, The Blue Elephant Theatre, used their grant to deliver a series of free interactive storytelling workshops focusing on what local children had missed from not being in school or nursery during the Covid-19 pandemic. Another community group, Blackfriars Settlement, used their funding to provide support to elderly residents during lockdown

Lendlease’s Project Director for Elephant Park, Kristy Lansdown, said: “We are committed to creating a thriving, inclusive and sustainable community at Elephant Park, and are pleased to support community projects which directly benefit those who live, work and study in the area. A broad range of projects have already benefited from funding through the scheme and I’m hoping we will be able to help fund some superb projects this year.”

Cllr Alice Macdonald, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities and Neighbourhoods at Southwark Council, said: “Over the last eight years, a diverse range of groups and activities have received funding from this scheme which have delivered real benefits for local residents. We look forward to receiving more applications this year so that community initiatives in Elephant and Castle continue to flourish and grow.”

Online applications can be made via The London Community Foundation’s website, where there are full details and guidance on the eligibility criteria. The deadline is midday on the 24th May 2021.

Liz Ranger, Director of Services for Blackfriars Settlement, one of last year’s recipients, said: “Grant funding has helped us meet the costs of supporting local older people during this very difficult last year. When lockdown started we switched our services to remote support and the team has been incredibly busy responding to the needs of our members. They have been providing regular befriending calls, emergency shopping, meal deliveries, activity packs and online and telephone conferencing group sessions to try and keep them as connected as possible.”

ENDS

https://londoncf.org.uk/grants/elephant-castle-community-fund

https://www.lendlease.com/uk/

https://www.southwark.gov.uk

https://www.elephantpark.co.uk/about-elephant-park/

https://www.elephantandcastle.org.uk

About Elephant Park

Elephant Park is a new residential and retail area for South London located in the historic area of Elephant & Castle. Offering the convenience of living in Zone 1 and centred around a new park, the development unites creative independents, inventive local food traders from the far corners of the world, and high street gems alongside a spirit of fun and adventure. Elephant Park will offer 3,000 new homes when completed in 2025, with space for over 50 new shops, restaurants and cafés and planting over 1,300 new trees. Elephant Park is just moments from Elephant & Castle Underground and Rail Stations, to the East of Walworth Road, breathing new life into this historic area and creating thousands of high-quality new homes, jobs, business opportunities and green space for Londoners.