Mayor’s Community Weekend - London

We're closed to new applications for the Mayor’s Community Weekend London 2025.

The Mayor’s Community Weekend comes to London again in 2025. It’s happening on the weekend of Friday 12 September to Sunday 14 September 2025. This is a chance for the communities of London to come together and celebrate our city. We’re working with the Mayor of London to offer funding to help communities do this.

Community groups could apply for between £500 and £2,000 to run events or activities. We’re funding street parties, picnics, cultural events, litter picks and more.

Area
England
Suitable for
Voluntary or community groups
Funding size
Awards from £500 to £2,000
Total available
£385,000
Application deadline

Closed on Wednesday 30 April 2025.

If you applied

What happens after you apply

We'll let you know our decision within 6 to 8 weeks of the closing date. So you should know if we’re funding you by the end of June 2025.

In that time we’ll check you are eligible and assess your application.

Here are the main steps involved in reviewing and approving applications:

  1. You send us your application we'll get back to you with a decision in around 6 to 8 weeks from the closing date. During this time, we look at your application and do our eligibility checks. You can find out more about the checks we do. We might call you to talk a little more about your application. Or to ask for more information before we make a decision.
  2. If your application is successful – we'll send you an email with the good news. And we’ll aim to put the funding in your bank account within 14 days (or sooner, if possible).
  3. You can start spending the funding. You can start preparing and planning right away. But the activities we’re funding must happen between Friday 12 and Sunday 14 September 2025. You should spend the funding the way you said you would in your application (unless we’ve agreed to something different first). We might check in to see how things are going. Find out more about how to manage your funding.
  4. Share your story. We’ll be in touch with guidance on how and when you can start promoting your activity.

We only have a certain amount of funding to award

This means we have to make some difficult decisions. And there are often lots of good applications we cannot fund.

We want to fund a mix of groups and communities across London. If we get more applications than we can fund we'll prioritise groups:

  • with smaller incomes
  • that have not had our funding before.

What you can spend the money on

We can only fund activities happening in Greater London on the Mayor's Community Weekend

This means between Friday 12 September and Sunday 14 September 2025.

So make sure you think about a back-up plan. For example, if your activities are outside and the weather is bad. Because we cannot fund your activities if you reschedule them for after these dates.

We can fund the costs of setting up and running activities, including:

  • staffing
  • insurance
  • transport
  • equipment hire
  • venue hire
  • volunteer expenses.

You must keep evidence of how you spent the money

Like receipts, paid invoices or itemised card statements. We may ask to see these after you spend the funding.

We cannot fund

  • activities that happen outside Greater London
  • events that do not take place between Friday 12 September and Sunday 14 September 2025
  • alcohol
  • religious activities (We can fund religious organisations. But their project must benefit the wider community and cannot include religious content.)
  • fundraising activities (where you use our funding to raise more money)
  • general organisational running costs, including repairs and maintenance
  • contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest
  • VAT you can reclaim
  • statutory activities. By this we mean things that the government should provide. Like teaching in schools or healthcare.

If you’ll be working with children, young people or vulnerable adults

You need to have a policy in place that explains how they’ll be safe. If you get funding you’ll need to follow our expectations on safeguarding children and adults at risk.

The NCVO website has child safeguarding advice and information services.

Find out how we use your personal data

We’re working with the Greater London Authority to give out this funding. If you apply we may share your information with them. They may use your information to publicise your event, send branded merchandise or arrange to visit your event.

For details read our data protection and privacy notice for the Mayor’s Community Weekend London.

Who could apply

Who could apply

Only constituted groups or organisations could apply

This means they must have a governing document. It should set out the rules about how the organisation runs.

A governing document could be called one of several things. This depends on the type of organisation. It might be called:

  • a constitution
  • a trust deed
  • memorandum and articles of association
  • something else.

Which types of organisation could apply:

  • constituted group or club
  • registered charity
  • charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
  • not-for-profit company
  • community interest company (CIC)
  • statutory body (including local authorities, town, parish and community council)
  • community benefit society
  • faith-based group - like a church, mosque, temple or synagogue (as long as the project does not include religious content)
  • school.

School projects must benefit the wider community

Even though schools can be at the heart of a community, we'll only fund schools that also benefit the communities around them.

So we will not fund projects that mainly benefit or involve teachers, pupils, and parents of pupils. Or that take place in schools during teaching time.

Organisations need at least 2 board or committee members who are not related

Related can mean:

  • related by marriage
  • in a civil partnership with each other
  • in a long-term relationship with each other
  • related through a long term partner
  • living together at the same address
  • related by blood.

All companies who apply must have at least two directors who are not related in any of these ways. This also applies to companies that are also registered as charities.

Who could not apply

Who we did not accept applications from:

  • groups that did not have a constitution when they applied
  • individuals
  • sole traders
  • organisations based outside the UK
  • one organisation applying on behalf of another
  • companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members. Including Companies Limited by Shares.
The activities we fund

We want to fund activities that bring the people and communities of London together and celebrate our city.

Activities we can fund

We’re only funding activities in Greater London

This includes the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.

We’re only funding activities taking place on the Mayor’s Community Weekend 2025

On one or more of the following dates:

  • Friday 12 September 2025
  • Saturday 13 September 2025
  • Sunday 14 September 2025.

We can fund activities that do one or more of the following:

  • Give people the chance to get involved in their local community. And to make a positive difference.
  • Help people feel safer in their local area. And increase their sense of belonging and trust.
  • Improve people’s relationships and connections in their local community
  • Help people to use or improve their local environment and green spaces
  • Help young Londoners to thrive. By giving them the chance to come up with and run activities to celebrate their local community.

Examples of activities we could fund

Events could include:

  • community gatherings like picnics, street parties and barbecues. That bring different groups of people together to celebrate and get to know each other.
  • inclusive indoor activities such as community fun days and community lunches
  • cultural events and community celebrations
  • environmental activities such as planting, green space clear-ups and litter picks
  • young people organising activities to get to know people of other ages.