Community Chest Grants

Community Chest is a grant programme that has been running since 2023. It funds small- to medium-sized community groups to deliver ‘social prescribing’ services and activities aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of Waltham Forest residents.

We work closely with partners from the health, care, community, and voluntary sectors to support residents with specific needs linked to health inequalities identified across the borough.

In 2026, the programme will be open to applications as follows:

Projects addressing the cost of living, mental well-being, and loneliness

Applications will open later in 2026 

Projects addressing the mental well-being of Black boys and young men 

Applications open in March 2026 

We welcome applications from voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise groups and organisations active in Waltham Forest to deliver activities and services for Black boys and young men in the borough.   

We know that Black boys and young men in Waltham Forest face disproportionate mental health challenges arising from systemic inequities, racism, and community-level risks. In Waltham Forest, residents from a Black ethnic group have double the diagnosed rate of serious mental health issues than those from a White or Asian background, yet are less likely to have access to timely support.   

These grants are a part of a wider work programme to provide wellbeing support and tackle poorer mental health amongst Black boys and young men aged 10-25 years in Waltham Forest.   

A panel of representatives from the council, voluntary and community organisations and residents with lived experience will assess applications and award the grants.

To apply, you will need to complete an application form, presenting your proposal in full.

Please read through the guidance for information on the funding criteria, key dates and other application guidance notes. 

To submit an application, fill in the attached application form and return it as a Word document to social.prescribing@walthamforest.gov.uk.  Applications in other formats, such as video submissions, are also accepted. Please follow the video application guidance for information on how to prepare a video submission.

Timeline

We will be hosting two online information sessions to give a programme overview and to answer any questions on the application process. You can choose one of the following dates:

Online information sessions

An hour-long online information session will cover the key dates, criteria and guidance and Q&A section. The sessions are identical; you only need to attend one.

Wednesday 1 April at 1pm, join via MS Teams 

Thursday 9 April at 10am, join via MS Teams

Face to face drop-ins

We will also be running drop-in sessions at local libraries, where applicants can speak with us about their applications. All sessions will take place between 10am to 2pm on the dates below.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email within 8 weeks of the closing date. 

It is recommended that you check your junk email or contact us at the email address below if you have not heard from us after this date.

If you have any queries about eligibility or making a submission, please email social.prescribing@walthamforest.gov.uk