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Application information

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Organisations will need to be a non-for-profit organisation, such as:
  • registered, exempted, or accepted charity
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Community Interest Company limited by guarantee
  • Company limited by guarantee (that is also not a registered charity)
  • Social Enterprise
  • Community benefit society (Industrial and Provident society)
  • Faith group, where the activity is not promoting religion
  • Community Amateur Sports Club
  • Constituted but unincorporated club or association
  • Constituted Tenants and Residents Associations, and Tenant Management Organisations
  • Constituted community group
  • Community Infrastructure Organisations or Umbrella organisations
  • Unconstituted community group
  • Mutual Aid Groups
  • Unconstituted community or mutual aid groups can apply, but you must work with a constituted sponsor organisation to support your application.
  • Organisations must be permanently based in a London borough and with a London-based correspondence address. This includes civil society organisations who might have a regional or national remit.
  • Organisations must have an impeccable non-party political reputation and be able to meet legal guidelines governing the GLA Civic and Democratic Participation programmes (please see section 14).
  • Organisations must be equity-led, by this we mean at least 50% of an organisation’s management (trustees and senior management) and staff identify with one or more of the identities listed in the introduction and have experience of the civic and democratic barriers they are trying to address.

There are no restrictions on applying if you have received GLA funding in the past or are currently receiving GLA funding for another project. But please make sure to stress how you will use the grant funding to specifically address the equality implications of the Elections Act and please address all the other points in the bid evaluation criteria.

Due to a predicted high level of demand and a desire to work with as many local organisations as possible across London; a maximum of one project per applicant organisation may be submitted. Multiple applications will be rejected.

Who cannot apply?

  • Individuals, or organisations applying on behalf of individuals
  • Business or for-profit organisations, this includes:
  • Companies with a legal status of Limited by Shares
  • For profit organisations including those who apply with a non-profit sponsor
  • Sole traders including those who apply with a non-profit sponsor
  • Organisations who do not have a charitable dissolution clause in their governing document
  • Local Authorities
  • Schools or formal educational settings, though we are happy to accept applications from community education groups, e.g. library homework club, ESOL groups, after school projects
  • Organisations whose projects would cover the following:
  • Activities that generate profits for private gain.
  • Activities that practice or promote religion, or any activities actively promoting certain belief systems (or indeed the lack of belief). Faith-based organisations can apply, but the activities funded must not fall under this stated exclusion.
  • Activities that are party political and encourage political support towards certain political parties or candidates. This includes civil society or lobbying groups associated with political parties.

How can we apply?

Please apply via the application portal here, which you can also access on the Groundwork website. You will be asked to complete an eligibility questionnaire before being taken to the application portal, to ensure you and your project are eligible for funding. To apply, complete the application form and submit your application using the online portal.

Make sure you read the information and guidance about the grant programme available on the Groundwork website before you submit your application. If you have any questions or need additional support to complete your application, please email VoterIDGrants@groundwork.org.uk or call 020 7239 1390.

The grant is open from 14 November 2022 and the deadline for submission is 5:00pm on 12 December 2022.

8.1 Due diligence guidance

As the grants come from public money, we need to carry out due diligence checks. These are tests to check that you are who you say you are and that you have got all the relevant policies and insurance in place when you start your project.

We will ask you to provide a series of documents with your application. In particular, you will be asked to:

  • Provide your or your sponsor organisation’s governance documents, including a suitable ‘dissolution’ or ‘winding up’ clause
  • Provide a copy of your or your sponsor organisation’s most recent accounts which have either been audited or independently examined
  • Attach a confirmation letter from your sponsor organisation to confirm they can hold and ringfence the funds on your behalf alongside a reference statement (if applicable)
  • A statement of your or your sponsor organisations cash flow for the current year
  • Provide your or sponsor organisation’s financial regulations/procedures, including a budget for the current year
  • Confirm you or your sponsor organisation have suitable public liability and employer’s liability insurance (you will be asked to provide these if successful)
  • Confirm you have suitable safeguarding policies in place if working with minors or vulnerable adults (you will be asked to provide these if successful)
  • Confirm you have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy/ statement, if available (you will be asked to provide these if successful)

NOTE: If you decide to submit a bid, you will also be asked to provide evidence of your track record, especially impartial civic and democratic engagement activity, its scope and impact.