Community Fund

The Community Fund supports projects and activities helping people thrive in their homes by improving the quality of life of Riverside customers and the wider communities in which they live. Through the Riverside Foundation, we’ve made £288,000 available in 2024/2025 through our Community Fund to help fund projects that promote opportunities and wellbeing and tackle poverty in our communities.

Last year we helped positively impact over 88,000 beneficiaries through initiatives and we’d love to help even more this year. So, if you’ve got an idea that could make a difference, we want to hear from you!

We welcome applications from charities, not-for-profit organisations, clubs, constituted groups and informal groups. We particularly welcome applications from grassroots organisations with a local presence in Riverside neighbourhoods. Applications from organisations that serve a wider area will be considered providing that there is evidence of an established local presence. Any application made for funding must demonstrate that at least 50% of all beneficiaries are Riverside/One Housing residents.

If you are unsure about whether your organisation is eligible to apply, please contact a member of the team to discuss before applying.

All applications must meet one or more of The Riverside Foundation’s themes:

  • Opportunity
  • Community
  • Support

For further information and a self-eligibility checklist, please read through the guidance notes, or contact a member of the team.

Since our Community Fund was launched in 2022, we’ve awarded more than £450,000 to more than 100 projects. Check out some examples below:

Opportunity
Brook Community Training received £2,759 to provide training for young people in Halton, Cheshire.

Community
Funding of £1,156 allowed Burnside Litter Pick to purchase equipment including bag hoops, litter pickers and gloves for their project in Langley, Greater Manchester.

Support
Isle of Dogs Bangladeshi Association in East London received support via Community Fund to enable them to provide a wide range of support to the community.

The Hope Centre, Colshaw Farm, Cheshire – £7,675

We awarded funding to support The Hope Centre, a warm and welcoming space offering free hot drinks and food, as well as help and support services in Colshaw Farm, Wilmslow. Many of our customers have used the facility and have given excellent feedback on its services and the part it plays in the community.

Colshaw Estate Tenants and Residents Association (CETRA) – £150 

We awarded funding to support CETRA to run a community sports day. This was attended by several Riverside customers and was a great day for all involved.

Burnside Centre, Langley, Manchester – £1,157

The Burnside Centre were awarded a grant to carry out a Community Clean-up Day in June 2023. With fly-tipping and litter a key priority for customers as identified in our neighbourhood plan for the area, this was a very good cause in line with customer priorities.

Salterbeck Tenants and Residents association (STAR), Salterbeck, Cumbria – £370

We supported STAR with £370 towards the cost of a visit to Blackpool for families, who fed back that they really enjoyed the day.

Madela8 – Toxteth Liverpool, awarded £9,999

Mandela8 were successful in securing funds from the Riverside Foundation’s Community Fund to contribute towards the costs of creating a mural of Liverpool Football Club’s first black player Howard Gayle. The project, a partnership with Mandela8 and artist John Culshaw, launched last week, with the finished mural, on one of Riverside’s properties on Upper Warrick Street in Toxteth.

Local Solutions – Liverpool/Knowsley – £1,506

Local Solutions photography project is helping to tackle feelings of social isolation and loneliness of older and vulnerable people living in Belle Vale and surrounding neighbourhoods. The project delivers photography and video sessions enabling participants to express their feelings, learn new skills and spend time with others.

Torrington Drive Community Association (TDCA) – Halewood, Knowsley – £9,835

TDCA’s received a grant to support their School Holiday Hunger Project which will extend their HAF provision to support those families who are struggling to afford to feed their children during the school holidays but unfortunately do not qualify for free school meals.

Priority Youth – Liverpool – £9,900

Priority Youth’s Mobile Bus Project delivers detached youth provision across Liverpool which includes mental health and wellbeing support, confidence building, employment and training and specialist support. The project will focus on our neighbourhoods that have high levels of youth ASB and a lack of provision to support young people.

New beginnings Improving Lives, Liverpool – £2,072

New beginnings Improving Lives received a grant to help support their warm hub. The warm hub helped to provide people in the community with a warm and safe space during the colder months. Those who attended also had access to a hot meal, could take part in social activities and be referred to any additional support they may need.

St Leonards Community Pantry – Sefton, Liverpool – £9,002.68 

St Leonards Youth and Community Centre delivers affordable food provision for people living in Sefton. The Riverside Community Fund provided a grant to help support the start up costs for opening two new pantries at St Pauls Hatton Hill and Waterloo Town Hall.

Cliftonville Volunteers – Margate, Thanet – £2,999

The Cliftonville Volunteers Project provides volunteering and engagement opportunities to improve community cohesion, tackle loneliness and isolation and improve the mental health and well being of residents living in Cliftonville. 

SPLAT – Stoke Moss Green, Stoke – £4,500

SPLAT (Social, Physical, Learning and Activities, Together) were awarded a grant to help support the continuation of youth provision Stoke Moss Green. Sessions run weekly and provide health and wellbeing support, arts and crafts, sports and physical exercise and support during summer holidays. Snacks and drinks are provided during sessions to help with holiday hunger.​​ The sessions are well attended by young Riverside customers and is a much-needed resource in the community​.

Creative Futures – Beaumanor, Leicester – £2,448

Creative Futures were awarded funding to support a tap being installed at the Beamanor Gardens allotment. Creative futures deliver a wide range of support that helps to tackle social isolation and improve community spaces.

Bring your own chair – Northampton – £166.68

Bring your own chair is a resident led project based in Northampton. The Riverside Community Fund provided a grant to purchase garden chairs and tables that can be used by residents to sit in the garden, meet their neighbours, make friends and tackle feelings of loneliness and social isolation. The project was put forward by one of our customers who had been struggling with her mental health and wanted to help support her neighbours who had been feeling the same.

Heritage Roadshow – Tower Hamlets – £3,000

Heritage Roadshow Social Arts and Dance Group is a prize-winning combined arts organisation based in Tower Hamlets since 2004. The grant supported the provision of free workshops for One Housing residents and the wider community in arts craft, sewing, textiles dance and media productions. The community regularly feature their elaborate and beautiful costumes at the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival.

Rising Tides Good COP Bad COP 28 Festival -Isle of Dogs – £2,700

To coincide with the COP28 summit at the UN, Rising Tides took over the Space Theatre for their own contribution to the climate conversation. The organisation engaged with the local community to explore and apricate the local surroundings of The Isle of Dogs through photography and an exhibition of their work were presented as a pre-show at one of theatre events.

Kings Coronation Celebrations – Isle of Dogs – £1,235

Residents on the St. John’s and Barkantine Estate came together to celebrate a joyous occasion — the coronation party of King Charles III. The event was a resounding success, filled with delightful moments, live music, and, of course, the cherished tradition of afternoon tea.

Isle of Dogs Bangladeshi Association – Isle of Dogs – £2,500

Isle of Dogs Bangladeshi Association in East London received support via Community Fund to enable them to provide a wide range of support to the community with a particular focus on their Pensioners Club.

Apply for our Community Fund