Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), the Mayor of London’s development corporation for West London, has announced 19 new community projects receiving a total of £110,000 this year through its Small Grants Programme.
The funding will help local groups across Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham bring ideas to life, strengthen neighbourhoods and support residents of all ages.
Now in its fifth year, the Small Grants Programme celebrates the huge range of grassroots action happening across the area. It supports everything from creating warm and welcoming places for people to meet and learn new skills, to projects that boost wellbeing, tackle loneliness and build local pride.
Community organisations can apply for grants of £1,000 to £7,000 to deliver activities that make a real difference to everyday life.
This year’s grants back a wide mix of community action, from outdoor art and nature programmes for young people to digital heritage work documenting Old Oak’s long-standing traders. Funding will support home makeovers for families in unsafe housing, intergenerational health and dance sessions for older adults, new youth and creative media opportunities, expanded access to nature at Wormwood Scrubs, and evening meal provision for residents facing homelessness.
Since launching in 2019, OPDC has supported more than 70 community led projects, reaching over 62,000 people across West London. Past initiatives have included dance classes, after school clubs, mentoring schemes, community magazines, foodbanks and support for local charities.
The projects supported by our Small Grants Programme show the power of local action. This year’s funding underlines the ambition and resilience of communities across Old Oak and Park Royal, with organisations stepping up to support residents, celebrate the area’s culture and identity, and strengthen neighbourhoods. Working in partnership with our diverse communities, OPDC is committed to delivering growth that creates real, lasting benefits for the people who live and work here.
For many of our guests, UR4Meals at The Upper Room is more than a meal service. It is a place where they are known, welcomed and treated with respect and dignity. Receiving this grant from OPDC means we can continue creating that safe and supportive space for people facing some of life's toughest challenges. We are so thankful to OPDC for their support and for helping us continue to be there for people when they need us most.
We are absolutely delighted to receive an OPDC Small Grant for Creative Future Labs. This funding will help RollaDome All Skate create exciting opportunities for young people to explore music, media, DJing, skating culture and heritage, while building confidence, skills and a stronger sense of belonging. It will have a real impact in helping young people see their creativity as a pathway to opportunity, expression and future success.
Healing Homes West are incredibly grateful to OPDC for this grant, which will be truly transformative for families in the area. Our community ranks amongst the top 50% most deprived areas in the UK for child poverty, with far too many children growing up in homes that are unsafe and unsanitary - conditions that cause lasting harm to their health, development and wellbeing. This funding will allow us to reach significantly more of those families, turning inadequate houses into warm, nurturing spaces where children can feel safe and families can begin to heal. OPDC’s support sends a powerful message that no child in this community should be held back by the home they live in, and we look forward to delivering real, lasting change together.
The 19 projects will deliver their initiatives over the financial year 2026/27. Funding for the next round of the Small Grants Programme will open in early 2027.
Notes to editors
Full list of the 19 projects awarded OPDC Small Grants funding in 2026/27
- Abundance Arts: Art Park Inspire delivers a six‑month nature and arts programme for underserved young people and local families in Stonebridge and Harlesden, using mural‑making, canal‑side walks and outdoor activities to boost confidence and wellbeing.
- Art Community Theatre Community Interest Company (CIC): Voices of Old Oak & Park Royal offers free theatre training and verbatim storytelling for around 20 young adults, building skills and confidence.
- CACE Events: The Old Oak Business Underdog Project pairs long‑standing traders with young citizen journalists to produce digital heritage films and podcasts that preserve local identity.
- Dance West: Move to Health provides 12 weeks of intergenerational physical activity sessions for up to 120 older adults and young people, improving mobility and wellbeing.
- For Brian CIC: A side‑by‑side cycle service helps isolated residents and people with mobility challenges reconnect with their community and enjoy outdoor activity around Wormwood Scrubs.
- Healing Homes West: A women‑led project transforming unsafe housing into safe, supportive spaces for children and single‑parent families through trauma‑informed home makeovers.
- Hikaytna: Park Royal Stone Soup brings residents together for shared cooking and storytelling sessions led by local chefs and artists.
- HomeLessNest: Windrush Voices is a 12‑week intergenerational writing and storytelling programme linking young people with Windrush elders.
- Mama Haven: Connect & Create offers free intergenerational sessions that support wellbeing, reduce isolation and expand access to creative and educational activities.
- Motion4Kids: An inclusive sports and development programme across three boroughs, empowering young people through sport, character‑building and community leadership.
- Nadi Park Royal: Funding supports the creation of a new youth hub serving diverse communities across the border where the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham meet.
- Old Oak Social Enterprise: Old Oak Together delivers 30 hours of intergenerational sessions and a major community celebration to strengthen local connection.
- RollaDome: The Creative Futures Lab provides year‑long free DJ, digital media and storytelling training for disadvantaged young people, culminating in a community showcase.
- Society Dance: Rising Together offers inclusive development programmes for disabled and non‑disabled young people, alongside community‑led outdoor activities that tackle loneliness.
- Sound Burger: A series of food, music and culture evenings that bring residents and young creatives together in an accessible, welcoming space.
- The Big Green Action Social Hub CIC: Transforming a disused bowls green into an intergenerational sensory garden co‑designed by students with complex needs, their families and older residents.
- The Upper Room (St Saviours): UR4Meals provides a long‑running evening meal service supporting residents facing homelessness, poverty or isolation, delivering tens of thousands of meals each year.
- TITRA: A community garden improving neglected spaces with food growing, planting and nature‑friendly areas that strengthen neighbourhood wellbeing and mitigate impact from construction.
- Urban Wise: A programme of guided workshops and woodland walks helping residents of all ages connect with Wormwood Scrubs and co‑design a new Nature Trail.