Grant for cultural events in town centres
Read about and apply for a grant of up to £7500 for local businesses and business or traders' associations to deliver cultural events to help animate Islington's high streets, shopping parades and other areas of economic activity.
We are providing £22,500 funding in total for businesses to host cultural events and activities in and around Islington town centres and other areas of key economic activity. The goal is to animate spaces, and encourage people to engage with local businesses and to come together as a community.
Grant amount and town centres
We are offering grants of between £5,000 and £7,500 for cultural events that take place in any of Islington’s town centres, high streets, parades, and other areas of economic activity.
Whilst this year’s grant scheme is not limited to any specific ward or area, we may prioritise applications that:
- Have not received Cultural Events in Town Centres funding before
- Provides an even spread across the north, central and south of the borough.
- Show strong evidence of working collaboratively with at least two cultural and/or community organisations to deliver their event, along with other local businesses.
This grant is supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) and delivered in partnership with the Growing Culture Fund, part of our culture strategy.
What we are looking for
The grants are aimed at supporting the transformation of Islington’s town centres by:
- enhancing community cohesion
- boosting local spending
- increased footfall
- animating public spaces.
- promoting Islington's fantastic local business offer
The ideal successful applicants will be organisations, an Islington business or traders' association that is working in partnership with local cultural and community organisations, as well as other local businesses. The events need to be delivered by the end of March 2025.
Events will cater to diverse communities, ensuring inclusivity and broad participation. This initiative not only supports local businesses but also emphasises our commitment to creating a sustainable, inclusive economy. Through this grant process, we will support successful applicants to apply for the necessary licences needed to deliver their events, such as pavement licenses and park event licences.
How to apply
Applications open on Monday 1 September 2025 and close on Monday 22 September.
If you have a question about the scheme ahead of the application window, please contact culture@islington.gov.uk
Eligibility and selection criteria
Before making an application, read this guidance. This will help determine whether you or your organisation are eligible to apply and whether your event is likely to fulfil our selection criteria.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria. You:
- You are a local business, registered on Companies House, the Charity Register, or have a Unique Tax Reference (UTR), or a business or traders’ association based within an Islington town centre.
- have a physical address in Islington (an operating or trading address in Islington from where most business activities take place), a trading license or your main trading activity takes place in the borough
- have no unresolved enforcement action taken by Islington Council in the last 12 months.
A food business applicant must:
- be licensed by Islington Council and have a food hygiene rating of three or above
- have no unresolved enforcement action taken by Islington Council in the last 12 months.
Businesses must let us know if you no longer meet the eligibility criteria - for example, if the business becomes insolvent or has already maximised subsidy allowances.
Your event
The event must be:
- Ideally deliverable before end of December 2025, but by end of March 2026 at the very latest.
- compliant with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements
- monitored and evaluated as specified by Islington Council
- open to all the community, accessible and inclusive, without strong religious or political views.
- ensure appropriate health and safety and safeguarding measures are in place
- have adequate insurance for the proposed event, such as public liability insurance.
After applying and receiving a grant you may be contacted for research and evaluation purposes.
Islington Council will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain additional grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be recovered, as may any grants paid in error.
Selection criteria
The grant should fund imaginative cultural events using the selection criteria below.
Support and celebrate local culture, community cohesion, local pride and belonging
Events should focus on celebrating local culture and strengthening how we connect as a community. They should foster a sense of local pride and belonging, through investment in cultural activities that enhance physical, cultural and social ties and support engagement with local spaces such as amenities, local green spaces and community or cultural organisations or projects.
Events can be themed in relation to the time of year, which for this grant runs from December 2025 to March 2026. This could include:
- Festive events (e.g. Christmas, Hannukah, Eid)
- Winter
- January sales
- LGBTQ+ History Month
- Valentine's Day
- Chinese New Year
- International Women's Day
Events may take any appropriate form including:
- outdoor markets or events in public spaces including green spaces, streets and squares
- art trails or exhibitions
- several indoor events in the same town centre that people can move between
- workshops or interactive activities
- performances, screenings, exhibitions, live music.
Demonstrate value for money
We are committed to providing value for money in all our services. This means that:
- all project costs should be realistic and proportionate to the event plans
- artists, event facilitator and event management costs should be fair and appropriate, reflecting the level of experience and/or qualifications
- any project seeking funds from the 'cultural events in town centres grant' that includes paying salary costs should be budgeted at the London Living Wage or above.
Improve the performance of businesses and town centres through increased footfall and local spend
To help animate the spaces the cultural events will be held, the events should:
- make town centres look and feel more welcoming, vibrant and bustling with activity
- increase footfall in the area, supporting engagement between local people and business
- use creative ways to encourage people to enter business and organisations and where suitable, increase local spend.
For examples of events and projects that animated town centres and high streets, you can read these resources.
Encourage people to engage with local businesses and organisations
Your event should use the existing organisations and businesses within the town centre, using them both as locations for activities to take place, but also bringing new people inside to engage as customers. Your event should:
- increase footfall and bring new visitors to the area
- increase spend in the local area
- encourage people to engage with local businesses and organisations they may not have otherwise engaged with before
- improve the reputation of the area.
Promote health and wellbeing
Demonstrate commitments to equality and diversity through event design, engagement and delivery methods
The 'cultural events in town centres grant' aims to support a diverse pool of cultural events offering varied engagement options for all local people.
We welcome and encourage applications that actively seek to better engage and work with the diverse community we live and work in. We particularly welcome applications that consider how they will engage with local people and or business/organisations of people who define as D/deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent, people of Global Majority Black heritage and of South, East and South-East Asian heritage and/or people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Applicants should consider different formats, models and methods of event delivery to support the successful engagement and involvement of different people from across Islington’s communities, including but not limited to co-creation with:
- local organisations and people
- socially engaged processes
- targeted marketing practices
- working with volunteers or community advocates.
All projects should be designed to reflect relevant accessibility and adaptability considerations, thinking about how the project will accommodate differing needs or requirements that potential beneficiaries may have. For example, variable formats for cultural activities, the sourcing of specialist facilities or equipment, the use of community languages or other inclusive practices.
Well-managed
Applicants will need to demonstrate that the project will be well-managed by:
- demonstrating the fullest consideration has been given to the safety and impact of your event, including its environmental impact
- taking responsibility for meeting all statutory requirements relating to equal opportunities, relevant health and safety matters, safeguarding and project risk management and maintaining relevant insurances
- ensuring all appropriate permissions, licences and authorisations are in place if required for project activities to be delivered
- making sure that project managers or organisers have the knowledge, skills and capacity to deliver the project effectively and safely – this includes demonstrating appropriate contingency planning
- hiring lead staff or facilitators that have the relevant skills, knowledge and experience, and/or appropriate professional qualifications to deliver the proposed event or activity
- providing evidence of your planned approach to monitoring and evaluation for reporting purposes.
Support climate action
Proposals should clearly demonstrate a commitment to using environmentally friendly policies and practices with reference to our:
Events could also include activities, stalls or exhibitions relating to climate action.
Demonstrate partnership working
Applicants are strongly encouraged to work with other individuals, businesses and organisations in the town centre’s local area.