Voluntary and community sector in Camden

Organisational Development Fund 

The Organisational Development Fund launches for applications on 9 March 2026.

There is no deadline for applications, the fund welcomes applications on a rolling basis. These will be reviewed during a monthly panel, held at the start of each month.

The Organisational Development Fund is a response to the current challenges facing the VCS. As an investment into organisational development, the fund is intended to support organisations to become more resilient, sustainable and adaptable, recognising the vital role they play in supporting residents, tackling inequality and building community strength. 

The fund has two aims. Applications will need to address at least one of them:  

1. Sustainability: To help VCS organisations address key risks – stabilising in the short term and putting them on a path to viability in the long term  
2. Adaptability: To enable VCS organisations to adapt and innovate in response to internal and external changes, challenges and pressures  

Grants of up to £10,000 are available.

Guidance

All the information about the fund can be found in the Handy Guide. You should read the guide carefully before applying.

Application

Register for an account on Plinth to complete your application.

Application support

We hosted a webinar to talk through the funding programmes.

Watch the recording of the webinar.

We have also answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the funds.

If you have any further questions that aren’t answered here, email [email protected].

We Make Camden Project Fund

The We Make Camden Project Fund is open to VCS organisations based in Camden. Grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year are available for two years to organisations with an annual income of less than £500,000. The fund has three criteria: Camden Missions, Inclusion and equality, and Project proposal and impact.

Camden Missions 

Projects that will make a difference to Camden communities – contributing to one or more of the Camden missions: 

• estates and neighbourhoods 
• diversity 
• young people 
• food 

Inclusion and equality 

Applications that are more likely to be successful are those that can demonstrate:  

• how your project is accessible, inclusive and tackles inequalities 
• how your project involves people and encourages them to take action 

Project proposal and impact

Applications that are more likely to be successful are those with a realistic project proposal and outcomes that are achievable and will make a difference. 

Guidance

All the information about the fund can be found in the Handy Guide. You should read the guide carefully before applying and make sure that your organisation meets the minimum requirements for this fund. 

Application 

Register for an account on Plinth to complete your application.

You must submit your application by 1pm on 20 April 2026. This is the second round of funding and there will be opportunities to apply to the project fund in the future. To receive announcements about future funding, sign up to our VCS newsletter.  

Application support

We hosted a webinar to talk through the funding programmes.

Watch the recording of the webinar.

We have also answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the funds.

If you have any further questions that aren’t answered here, email [email protected].

VCS Investment Programme 2024 to 2031: Theory of Change 

You can view the Community Partnerships team Theory of Change (PDF) which outlines further information on the VCS Investment Programme and our approach to supporting the sector. 

Community Partner Fund 

Community Partner Funding has been awarded to 38 organisations who are deeply rooted in Camden’s communities with a strong focus on neighbourhoods and equalities.  Seven-year grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 per year have been awarded. 

The fund supports Camden based organisations who take a preventative approach to social challenges; empower communities and support social action; and tackle inequalities and disproportionality. Applications to this fund are now closed- but please do check our website, as all new funding opportunities will be announced here. 
 
The organisations awarded Community Partner Funding are listed below. Click on each name to be taken to their website and learn more about each organisation’s work.

Abbey Community Centre
Bengali Workers Association
British Somali Community Centre
Calthorpe Community Garden
Camden Chinese Community Centre
Camden Disability Action
Castlehaven Community Association
Coram's Fields
Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust
Doorstep Homeless Families Project
Elfrida Rathbone Camden
Fitzrovia Community Centre
Fitzrovia Youth in Action
Forum+
Henna Asian Women’s Group
Highgate Newtown Community Partners
Holborn Community Association
Home Start Camden and Islington
Hopscotch Women's Centre
Kentish Town City Farm
Kentish Town Community Centre
King's Cross Brunswick Neighbourhood Association
Laamiga
Likewise Community
Maiden Lane Community Centre
NW5 Community Play Project
Queen's Crescent Community Association
SHAK (South Hampstead & Kilburn Community Partnership)
Sidings Community Centre
Somali Youth Development Resource Centre
Somers Town Community Association
St Marys Centre Community Trust
St Pancras Community Association
The Sherriff Centre
The Third Age Project
The Winchester Project
Training Link
West Hampstead Women's Centre

Read the evaluation report to find out more about the impact of this fund. 

Cost of living ward level data, December 2023

Cost of living update, data and evidence briefing 

Ward Level Data 2022

The latest Ward Level Network Data packs can be found below:

Belsize Ward Data Pack

Bloomsbury Ward Data Pack

Camden Square Ward Data Pack

Camden Town Ward Data Pack

Fortune Green Ward Data Pack

Frognal Ward Data Pack

Gospel Oak Ward Data Pack

Hampstead Town Ward Data Pack

Haverstock Ward Data Pack

Highgate Ward Data Pack

Holborn and Covent Garden Ward Data Pack

Kentish Town North Ward Data Pack

Kentish Town South Ward Data Pack

Kilburn Ward Data Pack

Kings Cross Ward Data Pack

Primrose Hill Ward Data Pack

Regent's Park Ward Data Pack

South Hampstead Ward Data Pack

St Pancras and Somers Town Ward Data Pack

West Hampstead Ward Data Pack

2021 Census Ward Profiles

The 2021 Census Ward Profiles cover a range of topics, including demography and migration, ethnic group, national identity, language and religion, housing, sexual orientation, gender identification, and education.

You can access this information here - 2021 Census Camden Ward Profiles

There are a range of funding opportunities and funding support available for Voluntary and community sector organisations in Camden. VCS organisations may also be commissioned to deliver services for local residents. 

Camden Council Grants  

Camden Council runs a number of different grant programmes for VCS organisations working in the borough. Find details of these grants.

We Make Camden Kit  

This programme provides small grants of up to £2,000 to resident led social action.

The We Make Camden Kit is a partnership between Camden Citizens, Camden Council, Camden Giving, and Camden businesses. We're funding and supporting great ideas that will make Camden a better place. The goal is to help achieve Camden’s Core Missions by 2030; everyone eats well every day, young people have great opportunities, there’s diversity amongst people in power and we’re living in sustainable neighbourhoods.

There is a rolling deadline and applications are reviewed every 2 weeks. You can apply at any point and will usually receive an outcome within 3 weeks.

Find out more about We Make Camden Kit, including how to access support to develop your idea.

Other ongoing restricted funding opportunities and financial support

Local Community Infrastructure Levy fund (LCIL)

25 per cent of the Camden Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is allocated locally by ward councillors. Allocations of CIL are guided by a Local CIL priority list for each ward. These have been developed by ward councillors in consultation with local residents. Details of LCIL availability and the priorities for your area can be found here. Find out more about LCIL.

Registered charities are entitled to an 80% reduction in their business rates. Details of the Mandatory Rate Relief can be found here. Find out more about the Mandatory Rate Relief.

Discretionary Rate Relief  

Charities in receipt of mandatory charity relief and non-profit-making organisations can apply for a further 20% discretionary discount on their rates, up to the value of £2000. You must be in receipt of Mandatory rate relief to apply for discretionary rate relief. Check your organisation’s eligibility here.

Local Funding 

Camden Giving  

Camden Giving runs 3 grants programmes for VCS organisations in Camden, the Equality Fund, We Make Camden Kit and Future Change Makers programmes. Their grants programmes are based on participatory grant giving, meaning that if you receive funding from Camden Giving, it will always be given by a panel of local people, who receive money and training to make decisions. Details of their funding programmes.

Young Camden Foundation 

Is a local organisation set up to address the growing uncertainty of long-term investment in the children and young people sector in Camden. Their yearly featured small grants are the Summer Opportunities Fund and the Holiday Hunger Fund. Details of their funding programmes.

Hampstead Wells and Campden 

Hampstead Wells and Campden provide grants to organisations, individuals and families. The principal objectives of The Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust are the alleviation of poverty and the advancement of health. Their area of benefit is north and west Camden, though organisations serving a wider area, but whose activities can be shown to benefit residents in our area of benefit, among others, may also apply for help. Find out more about Hampstead Wells and Campden.

Commissioning  

Camden are committed to supporting local small and medium sized enterprises and voluntary and community organisations to tender for private and public sector contracts. Go to Business with Camden to find out more. To view all available council contracts worth between £5,000 to £100,000 sign up to the London-wide portal Compete For.

Other funding support 

There is a range of other funding support for Voluntary and Community Sector organisations in Camden.  

Funding database

Camden 4 Community funding kit 

Camden Council has set up the Camden 4 Community funding Kit, a database of local, regional, national and international funding opportunities. You can register for access to the fully searchable database and to set up a regular bulletin, personalised to relevant search criteria. Find out more about Camden 4 Community.

Fundraising support

Voluntary Action Camden 

Voluntary Action Camden, provide expert advice and direct support to community groups needing help with fundraising and income generation. Find out more about Voluntary Action Camden.

NCVO funding section  

Wealth of information on grants, fundraising and public services. Find out more about NCVO.

One Camden  

OneCamden is a portal by VAC to help you access Voluntary and Community Sector support in Camden. Find out more about One Camden.

Data and Evidence for funding applications 

Camden Open data portal  

Open Data Camden is the place for the public, researchers and developers to access, analyse and share information about the borough.

Advice and Support for Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations 

There is a wide range of support available for voluntary and community organisations in Camden. 

Key contacts

A range of organisations provide support to the voluntary and community sector in Camden.

These include: 

• Voluntary Action Camden 
• Young Camden Foundation
• Camden Giving 
• Volunteer Centre Camden 
• C4- the Community Centre’s Consortium 

Newsletters

Regular newsletters provide up to date information on fundraising, training, resources and opportunities. 

• Camden Council’s monthly Community Partnership Team newsletter
• Voluntary Action Camden weekly newsletter
• Camden Giving newsletter 
• Young Camden Foundation newsletters 

Funding 

• Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) host a really useful Grant search function Voluntary Action Camden 4 Community website where you can look for grants that match your needs
• VAC also offer funding application workshops, training and in-depth one-to-one bid-writing support - keep an eye on their website for details
• Camden Giving and Young Camden Foundation also offer a range of grants

Data 

The links below provide up to date data on Camden’s population, including analysis and insights at a ward level. 

• Ward level data pack page
• Camden Council | Open Data | Open Data Portal

Support and training for organisations

• Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) offer organisational development support through face-to-face and 1-1 consultancy (e.g. on governance, policies, constitution, employment) Consultancy for Charities & Community Groups - VAC 
• VAC provide networking and peer support for small groups, and CEOs. Find out more here: Forums and networks - Voluntary Action Camden 
• Young Camden Foundation also provide networking, peer support and training for children and young people’s organisations in the borough. 
• VAC and Volunteer Centre Camden host a Trustees Network. Find out more and how to join: Camden Trustee Network - Voluntary Action Camden 

Safeguarding Children 

• Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership CSCP provides resources, signposting information and training for all organisations working with children and young people in Camden.
• VAC provide safeguarding children's training and support Camden’s VCS to develop safeguarding policies and procedures Safeguarding guide - Voluntary Action Camden

Safeguarding Adults

Information about how to recognise signs of abuse or neglect of adults, report any concerns and help people to stay safe can be found here Help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect (PDF).

Volunteering

Volunteer Centre Camden support VCS organisations to develop volunteering roles and match volunteers to these opportunities. They also support volunteer managers to ensure best practise. Through Team UP, they deliver impactful corporate volunteering projects and programmes for Camden’s VCS. 

Contact Us

Camden Council’s Community Partnerships Team are available to signpost to advice and support to all Camden-based VCS organisations, irrespective of whether they receive council funding. If you would like support, please contact us at [email protected].  

The following resources and sources of information are available to voluntary and community organisations in Camden. You can also search for funding opportunities

Discretionary rate relief

Discretionary rate relief helps the council reduce the business rates liability for charities and not-for-profit organisations that are providing valuable facilities and services to communities within Camden.

Registered charities are entitled to rate relief, which is an 80% reduction in their business rates and fully funded by central government. Councils can decide whether to provide further discretionary rate relief to cover some or all of the remaining 20% of business rates.

Eligibility

Discretionary rate relief can be applied for by any voluntary, charity or not-for-profit organisation that operates within Camden and is liable for business rates, and which provides services that meet the eligibility criteria.

We do not usually award discretionary rate relief to the types of organisations listed below:

• Charity shops and shops operated by trading arms of charities
• Premises used mainly for religious worship
• Overseas aid organisations
• Administration offices for national charities
• Social clubs
• Private nurseries, schools, colleges and other educational establishments
• Bodies operating a restrictive membership policy
• Organisations that already receive funding from, or are commissioned by, the council

Organisations applying for discretionary rate relief must demonstrate how their service provision directly benefits Camden residents. The council will need to consider the overall benefit to the community of the organisation, and what effect the award of rate relief will have upon the organisation.

Organisations need to demonstrate how their activities meet one or more of the following service themes:

1. Economic inclusion and equality
2. Access to work and training 
3. Childcare relating to these priorities

If discretionary rate relief is awarded, it will be capped to a maximum of £2,000. If an organisation delivers services from more than one building, the maximum will be £2,000 for each location where business rates are due.

Discretionary rate relief applications are only valid for one financial year. It is your organisation’s responsibility to reapply for discretionary rate relief for each financial year.

Application form

Submit a discretionary rate relief application form.

Until we advise you of the outcome of your application, you must pay any demands for business rates that your organisation receives. If discretionary rate relief is later awarded, your organisation will be given a refund.

Policy review

We will be reviewing the discretionary rate relief policy based on the council’s available financial budget.

Learning and Development

Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) provide comprehensive training programmes for Camden voluntary and community groups. VAC also run regular seminars on topical policy issues and themes, and host regular events aimed at the specific needs of the local community.

Read more about VAC training and events 

If you are a small local voluntary, community, charity or not-for-profit organisation, you can get limited access to the Council’s learning programme. This offer includes access to Health and Safety, Safeguarding and First Aid training. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Safeguarding training for Camden’s Voluntary Community Sector

Adults safeguarding training

Free safeguarding adults training is available from the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board. For more information, contact them by email at [email protected]. 

Children's safeguarding training

For organisations working with Camden children or their families, a range of Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) courses are available. 

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) training courses are also available.

If you work with Camden children aged 0-5 years old, or their families, Camden's Early Years Quality Support provides free Level 1 or Level 2 safeguarding children training. This is particularly relevant for volunteers in registered early years settings, as it is linked to the requirements of the Early Years Statutory Framework (EYFS). For more details, please email [email protected].

Camden 2025 sets out a bold vision for Camden – a place where everyone has a chance to succeed, where nobody gets left behind, and where everybody has a voice.
To help us deliver this, we intend to create a network of advice services that have the resident at the heart of all they do.

Camden Advice Services will:

• deliver high quality proactive advice
• be able to respond flexibly to resident’s’ needs
• be rooted in the community
• work collaboratively to ensure all residents are empowered, resilient and able to thrive.

We will be funding advice services through grants because we recognise the value in providing voluntary and community sector organisations with core funding. This enables service providers to be flexible and innovative in how they respond to local needs and opportunities, whilst supporting resilience and sustainability.

Through the establishment of an advice network, we envisage a much closer collaboration between the Council and advice providers which can include both larger and smaller community organisations.
The aims of the grant programme are

• residents have the right information and support so that they feel empowered and equipped to deal with problems themselves
• residents are able to access advice in a way and location that is best for them and they know where they can go for support
• a reduction in poverty as a result of people accessing the benefits they are entitled to (‘income maximisation’)
• all residents from across our diverse communities have equal access to advice and no one is excluded
• the amount of contact with services is reduced as residents are able to get information, advice and support from the service they trust  
• all services in the advice network are working collectively and are in regular contact, so that emerging concerns and trends are regularly being identified and appropriately responded to.

Funding is via a competitive Grant process

We are committing a total of £7million over a 7-year period, which will be allocated through a competitive grant. This equates to approximately £1million per year. We will develop a wide advice network that incorporates and supports the broad range of existing services offering advice, so that all residents have access to advice in a way that is easy for them.

Areas of advice to be provided

We have identified a number of topic areas for specialist advice which would sit alongside general provision. For the purposes of the grant award we will ensure that all topic areas are covered and the available funding will allocated accordingly. The topic areas are as follows:

General advice

As well as providing general advice, it is expected that an organisation with sufficient capacity to do so would also take on a central triage role to link in with the rest of the network. This would provide a single point of contact for those unsure where to get support, however residents could also approach other organisations directly if they already have a relationship or know what specialist support they need.

Specialist advice

This would be broken into a series of subcategories as follows:

•     over 65s
•     young people (16-25)
•     people with disabilities
•     welfare/benefits
•     housing
•     employment and immigration
•     debt and money

A further priority for advice provision is ensuring a good spread geographically. Any consortia bids will be expected to demonstrate that organisations will work together to provide good coverage across the borough.

Indicative Funding Allocation

Expectations of grant-funded partners

As well as delivering the specified service you will outline in your application, advice partners will be expected to:

• actively participate in the advice network, coordinating delivery with the Council and other advice organisations.
• collect data, monitor impact, identify emerging trends and develop a system response.

Throughout the first two years, we will invest in capacity building to ensure all providers are equally involved in the network and equipped for data collection and reporting requirements.   

The Community Partnership Team’s work on Equalities and Cohesion has 3 key areas of focus:  

Grants programmes and funding  

• Funding relationships with Equalities led organisations.  
• Ensuring that our grants are inclusive and support VCS organisations from across Camden's diverse communities 
• Capacity building- such as training, workshops or peer learning opportunities- to support Equalities led organisations to access funding opportunities   

Partnerships and networks  

• Convene key networks such as the Camden Interfaith Network and Borough of Sanctuary VCS Forum  
• Seek to connect organisations with each other and relevant Council services and teams to enhance work  
• Input into existing networks and support the development of new networks where they may be gaps, for example convening a network of women’s organisations  

Promoting community cohesion through events and awareness days or months 

• Profile and highlight the work of the VCS through their events and activities, for example LGBT History month  
• Work with organisations to develop and deliver events, such as Hate Crime Awareness events during National Hate Crime Awareness Week  
• Organise events that support community cohesion, for example Interfaith Tree Planting  

View Camden's 2024 inclusion calendar.

If you would like to find out more, please contact us at [email protected]

Background

There are more than 2,400 voluntary and community groups (VCS) across Camden.

The sector plays an important role in mobilising community action, tackling the causes and effects of poverty, inequality, and social and economic exclusion. A strong and vibrant sector is therefore at the heart of a fairer Camden. 

In recent years, Camden’s VCS has endured a range of challenges caused by austerity, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

Each year, we support Camden’s VCS through a £4million pound grant funding programme, complimented by organisational development support from our Camden’s Community Partnership Team as well as support to develop new partnerships and collaboration between VCS, council and other partners.

Research

We have recently conducted research in order to understand the trends, issues and challenges for the sector as well as examples of good practice.
The research utilised local sector data and research from a range of trusted organisations. 

The report accurately captures both the broad themes affecting Camden’s VCS and the sector’s intricate diversity. It highlights trends presenting across Camden’s VCS that could be addressed with a collective, strategic approach. The report also notes the need to ensure a nuanced approach tailored to the unique needs of different organisations, depending on their context and specialism. Each charity or community group operates with a distinct focus, whether tackling poverty, gender-based violence, or environmental concerns. The report is clear that recognising this complexity is key to strengthening the sector.

We identified several areas of support needed from support to reimagine volunteering, access to affordable HR support to investment in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and support with Cultural Advocacy Programmes.

To find out more read the full State of the Sector Report.

Read the Executive Summary

The We Make Camden Project Fund is open to VCS organisations based in Camden. Grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year are available for two years to organisations with an annual income of less than £500,000. The fund has three criteria: Camden Missions, Inclusion and equality, and Project proposal and impact.

Camden Missions 

Projects that will make a difference to Camden communities – contributing to one or more of the Camden missions: 

• estates and neighbourhoods 
• diversity 
• young people 
• food 

Inclusion and equality 

Applications that are more likely to be successful are those that can demonstrate:  

• how your project is accessible, inclusive and tackles inequalities 
• how your project involves people and encourages them to take action 

Project proposal and impact

Applications that are more likely to be successful are those with a realistic project proposal and outcomes that are achievable and will make a difference. 

Guidance

All the information about the fund can be found in the Handy Guide. You should read the guide carefully before applying and make sure that your organisation meets the minimum requirements for this fund. 

Application 

Register for an account on Plinth to complete your application.

You must submit your application by 1pm on 20 April 2026. This is the second round of funding and there will be opportunities to apply to the project fund in the future. To receive announcements about future funding, sign up to our VCS newsletter.  

Application support

We hosted a webinar to talk through the funding programmes. You can watch the recording here.

We have also answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the funds.

If you have any further questions that aren’t answered here, email [email protected].
 

The Organisational Development Fund launches for applications on 9 March 2026.

There is no deadline for applications, the fund welcomes applications on a rolling basis. These will be reviewed during a monthly panel, held at the start of each month.

The Organisational Development Fund is a response to the current challenges facing the VCS. As an investment into organisational development, the fund is intended to support organisations to become more resilient, sustainable and adaptable, recognising the vital role they play in supporting residents, tackling inequality and building community strength. 

The fund has two aims. Applications will need to address at least one of them:  

1. Sustainability: To help VCS organisations address key risks – stabilising in the short term and putting them on a path to viability in the long term  
2. Adaptability: To enable VCS organisations to adapt and innovate in response to internal and external changes, challenges and pressures  

Grants of up to £10,000 are available.

Guidance

All the information about the fund can be found in the Handy Guide. You should read the guide carefully before applying.

Application

Register for an account on Plinth to complete your application.

Application support

We will be hosting an online webinar to introduce the fund, along with other grants available as part of our VCS investment Programme 2024 to 2031.

The webinar will take place on:

• 17 March 2026 at 4pm. Register for the webinar 

You can also email [email protected] to raise questions with our team.