Cultural Celebrations Fund 2023 to 2024

Application guide

Thank you for your interest in the Cultural Celebrations Fund (CCF) 2023-24. The fund is intended to support and enhance the delivery of a range of public outdoor events across the borough.

Key information for funding:

• The fund opened for applications on Monday 16 January 2023
• The deadline for application submission was 9am on 13 February 2023
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate a connection to Southwark
• There is up to £95,000 funding available
• Applicants are invited to apply for funding up to a maximum of £10,000*

*The amount of funding offered to an applicant may be different to the amount of funding requested by the applicant.

• There can only be one application per event
• Applicants who are shortlisted for funding will be invited to interview on 14 March 2023 between 9am and 5pm. The interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Applicants are requested to block out time in their diaries so that they can attend interviews if called.

Key information for event delivery:

• Events must take place between 1 June 2023* and 31 March 2024

*Subject to event having obtained all necessary licenses and consents by this time

• Events must take place outdoors in a park or public space in Southwark, which is managed by the Council. See a list of available locations
• The planning and delivery of an event must comply with the Council’s Outdoor Events Policy
• Successful grant recipients must submit an event application within the required time. This is done through the Council’s online booking system Eventapp Applicants will need to pay an event application fee upon submission
• Events must be non-profit and free to attend
• Events must promote and support community cohesion and engagement
• Events must support the council’s Climate Emergency efforts and specifically adhere to the Events Environmental Sustainability Guide
• Successful applicants must get all necessary licenses and consents for their event to take place. This could include:

1. Premises Licence or a Temporary Events Notice (TEN)
2. Performing Rights Society (PRS) music licence
3. Temporary structures licence (section 30)
4. Temporary Traffic Order for road closure (section 16(a))

What you will need to provide in order to complete your application

• Your contact information, details about you/your organisation
• Proof of status/identity
• A detailed description about the event you wish to deliver
• Details of where the grant would need to be paid:
  • bank account name and bank name
  • account number and sort code
  • a redacted copy of a bank statement confirming these
• Information about your event budget – you must show:
  • an itemised expenditure budget for event programming and production items
  • an itemised income budget showing the amount you are applying for plus any other income streams.
• Evidence of how your event supports the Council’s Fairer Future Commitments
• Evidence of how your event supports the Cultural Strategy, Creative Southwark
• Evidence of how your event supports the Council’s commitments to the Climate Emergency
• Evidence of how your event supports the Council’s Southwark Stands Together commitments
• Evidence to support your application. This could be some examples of previous work that you or those involved in your event have done, or documents for this event if it has run before.

Eligibility

Before you start your application, please check that you or your organisation meet the eligibility criteria for the fund: 

• Do you have a connection to Southwark?
• Will your event take place between 1 June 2023 and 31 March 2024?
• Will your event take place outdoors in a park or public open space, which is managed by Southwark Council?
• Is your event non-profit making and free to attend?
• Can you provide proof of I.D/status and a current bank statement?

What we are looking to fund

• We are keen to support events which:
  • Promote community cohesion and engagement
  • Support the Council’s Southwark Stands Together programme
  • Support the Council’s commitments to the Climate Emergency
  • Support the themes of the Council’s Cultural Strategy
  • Support the Council’s Fairer Future Commitments
  • Provide participatory activities for those attending
  • Provide trading or professional opportunities for Southwark-based businesses and artists/performers/creatives
  • Provide opportunities for local volunteers
  • Are inclusive and accessible

• We will:
  • fund events which take place in a park or public open space within Southwark. The space has to be managed by Southwark Council.
  • fund events which are non-profit making and free to attend
  • fund events which pay the London Living Wage, or the going industry rate as a minimum. This applies to any paid staff / contractors / freelancers involved in delivering your event.
     
• Events must take place between 1 June 2023 and 31 March 2024

How to apply

• All funding applications must be submitted via the Council’s grants application platform. It allows you to move back and forth between sections, save as you go along, and return to your application later. If you or your organisation have used the platform before, you can access information from previous applications.
• You can download and preview a copy of the application form so that you can prepare your responses in advance.. 
• The application form is structured in the following format:

Section A
Getting Started
Eligibility
Your details
Contact
Bank Details

Section B
Project
Outcomes
Income and Expenditure

Section C
Supporting information
Equalities monitoring
Declaration
Submit

• There is space at the end of the application form to add supporting information in a variety of formats.  For example, you could share a film or photos of the event if it has happened before or it could be a bit more about yourself and the event you want to deliver
• There is also an optional Equalities Monitoring form at the end of the application. This is anonymous and is not taken into consideration as part of the application process. The information you provide helps us to understand who is applying for and accessing funding 
• Your application must be submitted by 9am on Monday 13 February 2023.
• Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation that it has been received.  If we have queries about the information you have provided, we may ask to speak to you before your application is reviewed.
• Applicants who are shortlisted for funding will be invited to interview on Tuesday 14 March 2023 between 9pm and 5pm. The interviews will be online via Microsoft Teams. Please make sure you, or a representative, are available on that day in caseyou are called.

Budget

• You will be asked to provide an income and expenditure breakdown in your application, which should balance the amount of funding you are applying for.  There is no requirement for match funding, but if other funding is being used towards your project, please let us know
• Please note that one of the conditions of funding is to pay the London Living Wage or industry going rates as a minimum. This applies to any paid staff / contractors / freelancers involved in delivering your event
• Funding will be paid via bank transfer to your nominated account.  Funding instalments will be paid in two parts:
  • 80% on acceptance of the grant offer and signing of agreement
  • 20% on completion of the event and submission of your event evaluation report
• Please note that whilst Council funded events are not subject to venue hire fees, event organisers still need to pay an event application fee. The fee is: £43 + VAT (from 1 April 2023) so please include this in your expenditure budget.

Monitoring

• You will be connected to officers in the council’s Events team, who will be your key points of contact for any matters relating to your funding agreement and event delivery
• If your funding application is successful, you will need to submit an event application to the Events team. This is subject to the council’s usual event application process. Please note that a successful funding application is not a guarantee that your event can proceed. You will be expected to comply with all dates and milestones regarding the submission of your event management plans. Your assigned Event Operations Officer will advise and support you on this.

Evaluation

• When your event has been delivered you will be asked to provide a summary of:
  • how the event went
  • how you spent the money
  • who benefitted and who attended
  • what outcomes you achieved and what you learnt
  • your carbon footprint was (if known)
• We will provide you with a template for this.

How your application will be assessed

A panel will assess each application against the following set of questions. Scores will be awarded from 0 – 5 with 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.

The questions for scoring purposes are:

• How well does this event help to build thriving neighbourhoods in Southwark?
• How well does this event unite and connect communities?
• How well does this event offer Southwark residents a chance to engage and participate in creative activity?
• How well does this event support local businesses and contribute to the growth of the local economy?
• How well does this event embody the Southwark Stands Together pledges? i.e. how well is a commitment to equality and diversity embedded in the event? How well does the event amplify diverse voices and / or address racial injustices?
• How well does this event implement an environmentally sustainable approach that contributes to the Council's target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030? – does the event go above and beyond what the Events Environmental Sustainability Guide requires?
• How well does this event provide employment and volunteering opportunities for Southwark residents?
• How feasible is it that this event can be successfully delivered? (including within the proposed budget and time frame)
• How relevant and successful is the event organiser's experience of delivering similar events?
• How well does this event succeed in reaching as many people as possible? How accessible is this event?

The panel will include council officers and representatives from the local community. To ensure diversity of thought in the process, this will include those with lived experience of inequalities. The panel will score applications before meeting together to agree a collective shortlist.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interviews on Tuesday 14 March 2023 between 9-5pm.

Funding recommendations will then be made by the panel. These will be based on collective scores and with the intention of ensuring  a balance of events around the borough. The recommendations will be reviewed by the Cabinet Member via a formal decision making process.

All applicants will be notified of the provisional outcome of their applications during March 2023.

If your application is successful

• Successful applicants will be required to abide by the Cultural Celebrations Terms and Conditions of funding ^{(PDF, 237kb)}
• We will need to set you up on the Council’s finance system so that you can receive your funding. Your funding will be paid in two instalments
• We will introduce you to the Event officers who will be your main points of contact for your funding agreement and your event planning and delivery.

If your application is unsuccessful

• If your application is not successful, we will offer you feedback and notify you of future funding opportunities..

Page last updated: 01 June 2023