Southwark Pride fund 2024

Guidance for applicants

Please read this information carefully and in full before completing the online application form. 

If you have further questions after reading this guidance, please contact us using cvssu@southwark.gov.uk 

• Background to the programme

  The Southwark Pride Fund is a grants programme that supports our LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex) communities to celebrate Pride in Southwark. 

  You can apply for a grant to create events from Pride Month in June to the end of August to help celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer identities, culture, histories and gay rights.

  Southwark Council is committed to celebrating the diversity and heritage of our borough, including the contributions of our LGBTQI+ community who have shaped the UK and Southwark’s history and continue to shape our present and future.

  Although likely to be an underestimate due to ongoing stigma, the 2021 Census recorded that for  the Borough of Southwark around 1 in 20 (4.5%) identified as lesbian or gay, and 1 in 30 (3.2%) identified as bisexual or pansexual. Southwark is ranked fourth highest in England for the proportion of residents with LGBTQI+ sexual orientation.

• Aims of the programme

  This fund will support community events taking place from 1 June– 31 August 2024, these dates inclusive. There is a special focus on events occurring on or around Pride Month in June.

  Some examples of events that could be funded by the Fund include:

  • community fun days
  • street parties
  • workshops teaching drama, writing or other arts
  • history and/or art  exhibitions
  • historical walks
  • music or theatre performances
  • film showings with Q + A session

  Events should demonstrate links with the programme theme below, which has been co-produced with community representatives.

  Applicants can apply for up to £2,499 from the Fund for their events. Grants can add funds to an already planned event or fund an event entirely. More guidance on how much to apply for can be found in how we will assess applications

• Who can apply

  We can only accept applications from organisations or individuals who:

  • Are constituted and/or registered with an appropriate regulatory authority (for example, registered with the Charity Commission or Companies House)
  • Have a bank account with at least two signatories. Grants cannot be paid into an individual or personal bank account. 

  If you do not meet these eligibility criteria, you could approach a local organisation and enquire whether they could support the application.

  Applicants will also be expected to comply with the Council’s Conditions of Grant Funding.

  Applicants must also have demonstrable previous event management experience that is appropriate for the proposed event. Those without previous event management experience can still apply, but will only be considered for smaller grant amounts. This is to support organisations to gain experience and build their capacity.

• Key dates

  The funding timeline is as follows:

  What	When
  We share “coming soon” information, including application and guidance	18 March 2024
  Applications open	2 April
  Applications close	30 April
  Panel assessment meeting	Week commencing 6 May
  Panel recommendations report and decision-making	Mid May
  Grant award notifications sent out	Late May
  Application feedback available	June
  Event period	1 June –  31 August 2024

  Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee when funding will be released to organisations as this depends on various factors such as:

  • whether the organisation is already registered as a Vendor on our payments system
  • how quickly the organisation returns their signed Conditions of Grant Funding (COGF) is returned

  Please see the 'next steps for successful applicants' section for more information on setting up grant payments and on the COGF.

• The application form

  You can use the online form to apply.

  The application form will ask for information on:

  • your organisation
  • contact details
  • your proposed event date
  • your proposed event location
  • your proposed budget
  • ‘protected characteristics’ covered by the Equality Act 2010.

  In addition, the form asks the following questions regarding your event proposal:

  • What you plan to do for your event?
  • What you plan to achieve by holding your event?
  • What previous experience does your organisation have hosting similar events?

  You can provide answers to these three questions as written statements or as a video. The form will prompt you to select your preferred method – both will not be accepted. The quality of video production will not be taken into account as part of the panel assessment.

  If you choose to submit a video statement, please ensure you provide sufficient information on the three questions above. Whichever statement method you provide: if you do not provide us with enough information to assess each of the assessment areas, this will result in a lower score for your application overall and lower your chances of being awarded funding.

  Questions about some of the ‘Protected Characteristics’ covered by the Equality Act 2010

  We ask you to estimate which percentage (%) of your Organisation’s Board/ Management Committee fall into each category. If you do not have the information or you prefer not to answer any question, please respond either ‘not known’ or ‘prefer not to answer’.

  We ask for this to collect information for equalities monitoring purposes - it will not affect the outcome of your application.

  This information is requested in order to understand better who is represented on the Boards / Management Committees of organisations funded by the council and so determine how representative they are of the communities they serve.

• How we will assess applications

  We will assess your proposal based on the following principles:

  Criteria	Description
  General	The proposal is realistic and achievable The event is well thought out, where possible giving a planning schedule and roles and responsibilities of organisers The event demonstrates clear links to the aims of the funding
  Theme	Follows the theme to celebrate and commemorate Pride in Southwark
  Timing	The event takes place within the Fund’s event window (June-August) Takes place at a suitable time and day for the event described (weekend and evening events are preferred)
  Accessibility	In-person locations are accessible for those with restricted mobility In-person locations are accessible by public transport In-person events take place within the London Borough of Southwark Online events are accessible through an open booking system and/or video conferencing or streaming platform Ticket prices (for those events charging for entry) are affordable
  Participation	Event is open to all audiences in Southwark Event is not exclusive to any particular group or membership
  Budget	The budget is clearly broken down It is clear how expenditure relates to the proposed activities and the aims of the activity The budget offers value for money for the scale of the proposed activity Costs are comparable to general market rates eg. the cost of renting equipment or the hourly rates of performers

  Applications will be assessed by a panel consisting of a council officer and representatives from LGBTQ+ organisations.

  Some additional guidance on what funding we expect to offer is below:

  Funding amount	Guidance
  Up to £500	Organisations without a track record of delivering events Small community celebrations, such as a street party
  Up to £2,000	Innovative and exciting events, performances or workshops
  Up to £2,499	Multiple events as part of a programme or festival Large events with a wide public reach and several forms of entertainment and/or engagement, such as a free to access  community fun day

  Please note that this is only guidance. Organisations may apply for grant amounts that they feel best fits their proposal and can be justified.

  Organisations may not receive the full amount of funding applied for. We encourage you to think about what you would do if this happens.

  We encourage organisations who may apply for a large proportion of the funding to be spent on food and/or drink and advertising materials to think about how this supports the proposal to meet the aims of the Fund and the aims of the proposal. These costs as a percentage of the total budget will be considered by the panel as a factor in their decision making.  The need for this expenditure must be explained in your project proposal.

• What to avoid

  We are interested in your event proposal and how it will be delivered. Please avoid lengthy information on the background of your organisation and/or using statistical information about the communities your organisation serves.

  In addition, we will not fund:

  • any core costs for the organisation, such as the work of existing staff
  • costs for any resource that your organisation would not ordinarily be charged for using, such as a venue with an existing agreement in place
  • the purchase of any equipment or hardware (if needed, the cost of renting these items can be included)
  • alcohol or any other intoxicant
• Next steps for successful applicants

  Following the panel assessment and decision-making, all applicants will be notified of the outcome via email. Please make sure to add cvssu@southwark.gov.uk to your safe senders or contact list, as well as check your junk/spam folders.

  Unsuccessful applicants will be given brief feedback on their applications, with opportunity to contact the team for further feedback. Successful applicants with awards above £500 will be sent a copy of the Conditions of Grant Funding (COGF) to sign. The COGF must be returned before a grant payment can be made.

  If the Council has not awarded your organisation funding before, we will also require some supporting paperwork to process your grant. We will ask for:

  Headed letter with proof of organisation details

  For this we will need:

  • organisation name (as registered with the appropriate authority)
  • company or charity number
  • VAT number (if applicable)
  • the name of a senior person within the organisation
  • address
  • telephone number
  • email address

  Proof of bank details

  We will need:

  • name on the bank account
  • account number
  • sort code

  We will still ask for these documents if you are sole trader,with details of your trading name.

  Once we receive the relevant paperwork, payment will be made in full and in advance by BACS.

  Ahead of events taking place, grant recipients must upload information on their events to the Council’s Southwark Presents listings. You can submit your event here. Events should be clearly marked as Southwark Pride 2024 themed. 

  If you are funded, you will have a named monitoring officer who will support you to meet the conditions of the grant.

  After you have delivered your event(s) all grant recipients must complete a short online evaluation form on the funding process and event delivery.

• How to ensure your event is compliant

  It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure all permissions and/or licences are in place ahead of events taking place. Any offer of a grant is not permission for that event to proceed until it has been granted permission and/or a licence from the appropriate authority. This is likely to be the Council or the landlord of a space/venue.

  The Southwark Council events team is on-hand to answer enquiries about planning your event and ensuring it is compliant with our policies, please contact: events@southwark.gov.uk

  Temporary Event Notice (TEN)

  Both outdoor and indoor events may require a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to take place. The application fee is £21. You can include this is your proposed budget if it is relevant to your event.

  Outdoor events

  If your proposed activity takes place in a public open space managed by Southwark Council, such as a park, it will need to comply with the Council’s Outdoor Events Policy.

  Events taking place outdoors may require an application - fees and charges may apply, for more information read our guidance on planning an event. You can include this is your proposed budget if it is relevant to your event.

  Street parties

  Organisations hoping to host a street party must apply for a road closure and comply with Council policies to be safe and legal. Read our guidance on hosting a street party and our guidance on applying for a road closure. There are no road closure fees for non-profit community events.

  Risk assessments

  We recommend you complete a risk assessment for any event. We have provided a template for online events included in Appendix 2. You can modify the template to be appropriate for in-person events. Any risk assessment does not need to be seen by your monitoring officer, however it is considered good practice to have one and it may help you to comply with any relevant policies.

  Guidance from Community Southwark

  Community Southwark are the umbrella body for Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) support in Southwark. They provide support on a range of topics, including fundraising and governance.

Page last updated: 03 April 2024