Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund
Purpose
The Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund (CILNF) is available to support projects being delivered within the City of London (the Square Mile) only. The scope of projects that can be funded by the CILNF is wider than that for general Community Infrastructure Levy funds and includes:
- The provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure.
- Anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area.
This definition is deliberately wide to allow local communities to determine their priorities and how the CILNF should be used.
Apply to the CILNF
Your organisation must be one of the following:
- Constituted voluntary organisation or resident association
- Constituted business organisation and association
- Registered charity
- Registered community interest company
- Charitable company (incorporated as not for profit)
- Registered charitable incorporated organisation
- Exempt or excepted charity
- Registered charitable industrial and provide society or charitable cooperative
You need to submit supporting documents with your online application. You can do this easily using the online application form’s upload function.
- Select the type of document from the ‘title’ drop-down list.
- Click on the 'browse' button to locate the file on your system
- Click the 'upload' button.
Attachments should either be Word Documents (.doc or .docx), Excel Spreadsheets (.xls or .xlsx) or in Portable Document Format (.pdf). We may not be able to open documents that are in other formats.
The attachments cannot be more than 10MB in total. If you are unable to attach your documents, email the Central Grants Unit for advice.
It is important that you submit all the required supporting documents. We cannot assess your application until we have received all of them.
Required documents
Your organisation's finances spreadsheet
Use the template, which you need to download and save, as you will need to upload it from your own computer/server when you attach it as part of the application form.
You should complete the table, leaving none of the cells empty. There is a notes field if you want to provide explanatory information.
Funding spreadsheet
Use the template, which you need to download and save, as you will need to upload it from your own computer/server when you attach it as part of the application form.
Your organisation's constitution
This is your organisation’s governing document. For example, depending on your legal status this may be a Constitution, Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association or Trust Deed. If applicable we need both the ‘memorandum’ and ‘articles of association’.
If you are part of the Church of England we do not need this document and you should attach a note stating that this is the case.
Your most recent signed, audited or independently examined accounts
These are the same accounts you used to complete Section 2 – Finance Details.
Your accounts must meet the requirement of the appropriate regulatory body. If you are a Registered Charity, see here for more information.
Monitoring framework
As part of the application you must specify the activities (outputs) you aim to deliver with CILNF and the differences (outcomes) you aim to achieve.
We need a separate monitoring framework, in a format of your choice, setting out how you will track your progress against these intended outputs and outcomes.
The NCVO Charities Evaluation Services website is a good resource for monitoring guidance. We particularly recommend their free publication “First Steps in Monitoring and Evaluation”.
Relevant Job Description and Person Specification
If your application includes a request for funding towards post holders where any post holder will work more than 17.5 hours per week you must attached the job description including the hours, the pay rate or salary. (If the salary is pro-rated make this clear).
We are a Living Wage Friendly Funder. Any post paid for in full or part by a grant must be paid the minimum of the Living Wage.
Your Safeguarding Policy
Attach a copy of your organisation’s safeguarding policy, if you have one. This should reflect any relevant regulatory advice, for example from the Charity Commission. It may include:
- How your organisation provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards anyone who comes into contact with it, including beneficiaries, staff and volunteers.
- What adequate safeguarding policies, procedures and measures are in place and how are these are applied to protect people.
- Clarity as to how incidents and allegations will be handled, including reporting to the relevant authorities, such as the Charity Commission.
- How trustees avoid exposing the charity’s assets, beneficiaries or reputation to undue risk.
- Recognises that safeguarding goes beyond preventing physical abuse and includes protecting people from harm generally, including neglect, emotional abuse, exploitation, radicalisation and the consequences of the misuse of personal data.
Detailed proposals
You may attach more information supporting your application but this should not be more than than two sides of A4.
More assistance
If you require our application form or related guidance in alternative formats such as large print, Braille or audio tape please contact the Central Grants Unit to discuss your needs.
Before you apply
We encourage you to contact the Central Grants Team to discuss your eligibility and project plans.
Please ensure that you are aware of the boundaries of the City of London.
Application timeline
A decision on an application for under £25,000 will be made by City of London Corporation officers under delegated authority, normally within 12 weeks of receiving a complete application.
A decision on an application for between £25,000 and £50,000 will be made by City Corporation officers under delegated authority but in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee, normally within 16 weeks of receiving a complete application.
A decision on an application for over £50,000 will be considered by the City Corporation’s Resource Allocation Sub-Committee, normally on a quarterly basis. Applications will be considered in the public part of the meeting.
Your application has been rejected
You can re-apply one year from the date that the City Corporation received your original complete application. You can contact us for feedback on your unsuccessful application before re-applying.
More information
The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations require 15% of CIL receipts be reserved to deliver neighbourhood priorities. Where a Neighbourhood Plan or Neighbourhood Development Order has been made 25% of CIL receipts from development in the plan area is reserved for the delivery of neighbourhood priorities.
There are no parish, town or community councils and no adopted neighbourhood plans or neighbourhood development orders in the City of London and therefore the City Corporation retains the CILNF and is required to seek community views on how the CILNF should be used.
The City Corporation considers that, for the purposes of the CILNF, the City of London should be treated as a single neighbourhood.
An application should normally not be for more than £500,000. An application that is for more than £500,000 will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, where there is demonstrable benefit to more than one of the City’s communities and where the proposal aligns with other City Corporation ambitions, set out in its published strategies.
An application for more than £50,000 should demonstrate how the project will deliver value for money, including through the identification of any contributory or match funding. This can include contributions in time or expertise, for example, where a local community delivers infrastructure improvements themselves, but is not necessary for a successful bid.
CILNF grants approved to date.