Loved and Wanted Fund prospectus

London has a proud history of voluntary, community and (inter)faith organisations working together to support Londoners in times of change and hardship and to celebrate the diversity and shared values we have in our great city. From the community response to the Covid-19 pandemic, to the shows of solidarity to rebuff last summer's violent disorder, London's communities have pulled together, and civil society groups have helped facilitate this.

Londoners have better lives because of the spaces these organisations nurture and the sense of welcome and safety they harbour, from faith halls and community hubs to shared gardens and youth clubs. The many groups who create and steward spaces that bring people together play a critical role in supporting London's communities. The Mayor of London understands that their roles within communities means that they know the needs of London's residents. This knowledge is critical to carrying out the Mayor's missions of reducing inequalities, furthering social cohesion and ensuring that every person can feel loved and wanted in our city.

The Loved and Wanted Fund aims to create a London-wide network of community spaces aligned with the values of the Mayor's Loved and Wanted campaign: unity, respect and togetherness. These groups will stand as beacons of welcome and support, and they will deliver activities from within their spaces to increase social cohesion in London.

Social cohesion is created where spaces enable quality interactions and connections between Londoners from different backgrounds. It's about building relationships between different communities and providing clear pathways for participation in the local area and in London at large. And it relies on equality, tackling the barriers some Londoners face to building relationships and participating in community life.

Organisations who receive Loved and Wanted funding must work in partnership, especially with small civil society organisations who already do great work at local level, to deliver activities that improve social connection and reduce barriers for Londoners to participate fully in community life (see 1.3 What grantees must do).

By better resourcing local community and (inter)faith organisations – groups rooted in their neighbourhoods and trusted by Londoners – we can build a fairer, more welcoming city that celebrates our many communities and unlocks the benefits of all Londoners working together.

Funded organisations will be expected to develop and deliver a programme of work (your 'Loved and Wanted offer') to engage Londoners from February 2026 to March 2028. This can include work that is based in a neighbourhood but ideally has reach and impact at borough or cross-borough level.

The Loved and Wanted offer should include elements to both:

• build relationships among Londoners from different community and faith backgrounds (improve social connection)
• improve awareness of and access to the support and services Londoners need to participate fully in community life (reduce barriers to accessing services, advice and other rights).

Guidance and examples on how to do this are included in various sections of this prospectus.

Your offer should expand or re-imagine the social cohesion activities delivered from your venue. We encourage proposals that show how resource will be used to build on your current work to:

• deepen and extend reach with Londoners
• work in partnership with other organisations within your local area and borough to create a wider network of support aligned to the campaign
• apply a 'Loved and Wanted' lens to widen your current work in creative ways and increase the impact for Londoners.

Given the funding envelope, we do not expect proposals for entirely new projects. Instead, we want to know how you would use the grant to enhance activities you already deliver to achieve the fund's objectives.

In addition to delivering this work, you must have the capacity to engage with other grantees, with local partners, and with the wider Loved and Wanted campaign. This participation will take the following forms:

• agreeing a shared set of values that enable you to stand as a welcoming, inclusive community space and as an easily identifiable Loved and Wanted space, through visual branding, the activities on offer and the setup of the venue. 
• delivering activity and communications that amplify the Loved and Wanted campaign, including through use of physical assets, such as posters and window decals, and by sharing messages on social media, in newsletters, mailing lists, etc. We will also ask Loved and Wanted spaces to share regular stories about how they help Londoners in their area to feel greater a sense of belonging, and potentially host visits from the Mayor and/or his Deputy Mayors. 
• participating in quarterly thinking and networking sessions with others in the network. This will allow you to share best practice, learn new skills, and navigate any unforeseen challenges with peers. 
• reporting on the impact you create. Throughout the delivery, but especially at each payment milestone, we will request case studies (stories) alongside quantitative and qualitative metrics about the work you're doing. We'll also work alongside you to develop key impact metrics for your milestone reports. These should be measures that relate to the programme objectives, that are relevant to the activity you will deliver and the communities you will engage and build evidence of your good work for future funding applications.

We want grantees to make the best use of their resources and funding. To accomplish this, we will provide the following in addition to the grant:

• a named Greater London Authority (GLA) Officer who will serve as your point of contact with the GLA. They will provide connections to local and regional support, where possible, and communications resources to help you participate in the campaign.
• opportunities to showcase the work you do, including through Mayoral and/or Deputy Mayoral visits, official recognition of your status as a Loved and Wanted space (including via Mayor of London/GLA communications channels) and opportunities to engage with other relevant GLA and partner programmes.
• a regular thinking and networking programme to bring grantees together and build a movement around the Loved and Wanted values.

The Loved and Wanted Fund is open to incorporated (legally constituted) voluntary, community, cultural, or (inter)faith organisations that are not-for-profit:

• Registered charities
• Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
• Community interest companies (CICs)
• Not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee (CLGs) and/or social enterprises
• Community benefit societies (CBSs)

In addition to the above, applicants must:

• have operated in the same local area for the past 5 years (since 19 September 2020)
• deliver activities within a physical space that Londoners can access for the duration of the programme (until March 2028). This should be a space where Londoners can come together for community activities, and you should own, rent, or have formal permission to use it. Your private accommodation or offices cannot be considered as a space.
• have had an annual turnover between £100,000 and £10 million in the 2024/25 financial year
• have an organisational bank account with at least two unrelated signatories
• work with(in) different communities impacted by financial hardship, social exclusion or structural inequality (e.g., Black, Asian or ethnic minority Londoners, low-income Londoners, D/deaf and disabled Londoners, migrant Londoners, young or older Londoners, LGBTQIA+ Londoners) and be willing to work across communities of faith
• show how they will collaborate with other community, faith and public sector organisations to amplify the loved and wanted message.

Organisations who receive Loved and Wanted funding would need to work in partnership, especially with small civil society organisations who already do great work at local level, to deliver activities. As such, we strongly encourage joint proposals from formal partnerships that build on the strengths of different organisations.

A collaboration might be between a medium or large size venue-based civil society organisation and:

• other not-for-profit, small civil organisations
• local (inter)faith groups
• private sector organisations with a local presence and commitment to public benefit

In these cases, the lead organisation must be a civil society sector (i.e. voluntary, community, arts and culture, or faith) organisation and meet all eligibility criteria (see 2.1 Eligibility criteria). As part of your application, you must include a partnership agreement, clearly highlighting how organisations will work together and the benefits this will bring to Londoners as well as the roles and responsibilities of different partners, financial and other governance arrangements. The lead organisation will receive the grant on behalf of the partnership and be responsible for overall delivery and management of the programme.

All applicants must commit to working with additional communities and (inter)faith groups across the programme, and to displaying "Loved and Wanted" visuals, suggested communication and other relevant branding. If successful, you must also take part in regular thinking and networking sessions with other Loved and Wanted spaces (grantees). Initial plans are for these to be quarterly, but they may evolve in structure and frequency as the programme progresses to best meet grantees' collective needs.

The Loved and Wanted Fund aims to work alongside civil society organisations to deliver against the following objectives:

• Build meaningful relationships across communities. This means grantees’ projects should:
  • celebrate London’s diversity as a strength and promote cross-cultural understanding through community events, roundtables, collaborative projects and other activities that bring people from different backgrounds together
  • increase the number of opportunities for Londoners from different backgrounds to meaningfully connect
  • increase sense of belonging for communities whose members are most at risk of social exclusion.
• Increase the number and visibility of spaces where Londoners can go to feel more loved and wanted. This means grantees’ projects should:
  • operate within physical venues, which together form a clear London-wide network of support for social cohesion
  • build on shared values of respect, togetherness and unity, recognising that building more cohesive neighbourhoods is the work of all
  • amplify and better tailor messaging from the Mayor’s Loved and Wanted campaign to extend its reach and resonance.
• Help every Londoner to participate fully in community life. This means grantees’ projects should:
  • improve how Londoners access Greater London Authority (GLA)-supported and local authority-provided services or the accessibility of these services
  • where appropriate, signpost to GLA-affiliated and other local resources that help address structural barriers to one’s sense of belonging. Examples include the GLA Migrant Londoners Hub, GLA Democracy Hub, free debt advice services, Employment Rights Hub, Rough Sleeping Assessment Centres, the new Family Hubs and others
  • embrace ways of working that are relationship-based and intersectional
  • create opportunities for newly arrived or socially isolated individuals to connect with others in the local area on a regular, meaningful basis
  • further education and action on civic and democratic participation.
• Better identify and address pressures within communities, particularly where those relate to social justice and community participation. This means grantees’ projects should:
  • strengthen coordination with other organisations in the local area and with statutory partners
  • contribute to stronger mechanisms for information-sharing between civil society organisations (community and faith sector) working at neighbourhood level and statutory bodies (including the GLA and local authorities)
  • identify, prioritise and address needs in relation to local area cohesion so that more Londoners feel they belong
  • reinforce the value of the GLA, local authorities, and civil society organisations working together to build resilience to mis/disinformation and cohesion threats.
• Strengthen regional interfaith cooperation and engagement on community-building. This means grantees’ programmes should:
  • be designed to enable (greater) cooperation with (inter)faith groups in the local area where the lead applicant is a community organisation, or with other faiths where the applicant is itself a faith-led organisation
  • where appropriate, signpost to (inter)faith-led social action and services alongside those provided by public-sector bodies.

Given the positioning of Loved and Wanted spaces, we expect that successful applicants will demonstrate:

• how they are rooted in a local community in London
• a proven track record of delivering on social cohesion
• broad reach and effective community engagement
• commitment to (and capacity for) collaboration with local partners, fellow grantees, and the GLA
• alignment with the values of Loved and Wanted, including a compelling vision for growing cohesion where they operate and engaging in the overarching campaign.

A full description of our assessment criteria is detailed in the assessment framework.

Proposals must include elements to:  

• build relationships among Londoners from different community and faith backgrounds
• improve access to the support and services Londoners need to participate fully in community life.

The following examples may help guide your thinking but shouldn't limit it.

Our grants can support a broad range of activities and direct project costs, such as:

• volunteer expenses and programme-related training fees
• professional fees, event costs, materials and activities that help you deliver a Loved and Wanted offer
• expenses related to public engagement, including marketing and communications and any costs to make activities more accessible for Londoners.

In addition, you can apply for a contribution towards your organisation’s overheads. This is capped at up to 30% of your overall grant request. Overheads partially support your proposed programme. Eligible costs may include:

• a proportion of the rent and utilities cost for your venue
• a proportion of the salaries for core staff, such as administrators
• a proportion of your organisation’s professional (e.g., legal and audit) fees.

In deciding if a cost is proportionate, we follow principles of full cost recovery. More guidance is available from The National Lottery Community Fund's full cost recovery page.

The Loved and Wanted Fund will not support:

• activities and programmes without clear, compelling public benefit or that intend to re-grant any portion of the GLA award
• activities that are not related to social cohesion (i.e. that focus only on one-to-one support and do not consider wider community participation)
• routine maintenance, building costs, or other capital expenditure unrelated to programme objectives (and not documented as part of your full cost recovery)
• private individuals
• activity that has already taken place and ends before the grant period (we reserve the right to carry out due diligence checks on match funding to avoid double-counting of costs)
• activity outside Greater London or that does not focus on a specific local area within London.

These questions help us verify that your organisation is eligible for this funding and assess the vision and reach of your proposed programme offer. They also let us carry out due diligence checks, such as reviewing organisational accounts or cashflow.

Organisational details are not scored, but all prospective applicants must meet the eligibility criteria to be considered.

If applying as a partnership, the lead organisation should complete this section, as they will receive and be responsible for funding. They will need to tell us about any project partners – who else is involved and what their role(s) will be, and any due diligence and governance in place around this proposed formal partnership.

The information you provide about your current work and programme proposal will be assessed against the Loved and Wanted Fund criteria:

1. Criteria related to organisational attributes:
   • Strongly rooted in a local community in London
   • Track record of delivering impact on social cohesion
   • Broad reach and community engagement
   • Committed to working collaboratively
   • Aligned with the Loved and Wanted campaign goals
2. Criteria specific to your proposal:
   • Strength of your proposed Loved and Wanted offer – a deliverable programme, balancing ambition against what is possible in your place
   • Programme plan and management – a clearly outlined, realistic plan with the resources and capacity to sustain impact beyond the grant
   • Budget – delivering value for money, as these funds are public money

If your proposal includes activity with children and/or young Londoners, vulnerable adults or volunteers, you’ll need to evidence that you have a valid safeguarding policy in place.

Guidance on safeguarding for charities and trustees is available from The Charity Commission.

Equalities monitoring questions about your board / staff are optional to answer and not assessed as part of the selection process. We ask to understand who is applying for funding and ensure equitable access. We will ask you about how members of your board and staff self-identity to understand if the organisation is led by those with lived experience.

We will also ask about the communities you work within and if the people your programme would support share a particular identity and/or experience(s). By this, we mean that 50% or more of the people supported or being targeted by your project share that identity or experience. Equalities monitoring questions about your participants are required so that we can assess reach into different communities.

You can review the questions we’ll ask at each stage of assessment. Stage 2 Application questions will be available soon.

• Download Expression of Interest form questions (DOCX, 43.25 KB)

Once eligibility checks have been completed, Greater London Authority (GLA) officers will assess eligible grant applications against the criteria. These officers will be drawn from teams whose work promotes social cohesion.

Each submission will be reviewed independently by two scorers at minimum, and scores will be moderated by a panel.

We’ll consider the balance of projects in making final funding decisions. This is so we fund varied activities for different communities across Greater London. Balance will be sought across the funded cohort in terms of geography (e.g. inner versus outer London) and reach into communities – of place, identity and experience.

We expect high demand for this funding. Unfortunately, this means we will not be able to fund all good projects that meet the criteria.

Successful applicants will be notified in line with the published decision dates. If there are any delays to the assessment process, we will notify all applicants as quickly as possible and provide a new decision date.

Should you be selected as a Loved and Wanted space, you will get a dedicated GLA grant officer. They will work with you to complete the grant funding agreement and will remain your contact for support across the programme.

You should not make any financial commitments until you have received a signed funding agreement from us.

We anticipate high demand for the Loved and Wanted Fund, and we know that several organisations across Greater London are keen to be involved in the wider Loved and Wanted Community Programme. Sadly, this means we will not be able to fund every application that meets the criteria.

You’ll be notified if you’re unsuccessful. Should you express an interest, we will also keep you informed of other ways to participate in the Loved and Wanted campaign. Unfortunately, there will be no appeals process and no formal feedback for applicants who are unsuccessful at the Expression of Interest stage.

We commit to providing feedback for all organisations invited to submit a Stage 2 Application.