Before you apply

  1. Frequently asked questions we receive about the City Living, Local Life grant.

  2. How to use the grant.

  3. The terms of the City Living, Local Life grant.

  4. Things you need to do before applying for the City Living, Local Life grant.

  5. Guidance on how to complete the City Living, Local Life application form and how we make decisions.

Overview of the application process

Application proceeds as follows:

  1. Apply for City Living, Local Life via our online application form. You do not need to upload policies and insurance documents at this stage, but you may be asked to provide these later.
  2. Wait to be contacted by a council officer. They will support you through the due diligence process and ask you further questions about your proposal. The application process can take up to 12 weeks from submission to a decision on funding. 
  3. A council officer will send your application to councillors who will decide if your proposal is successful.
  4. A council officer will contact you with the outcome of your application. We do not disclose individual councillor decisions.
  5. If successful you should:
  • include the City Living, Local Life branding on your project
  • keep details of how the money was spent eg receipts and who was paid
  • complete a monitoring form within 20 days of the project completion date. Failure to do so may mean that you are ineligible for future funding from the programme
  • contact the VCS Partnerships team if there are significant changes in the delivery of your project. If you fail to use the grant as agreed or fail to complete the project within 12 months of receiving funding, we may ask you to repay the grant

Talk to your councillors

Contact all ward councillors in your chosen ward and tell them about your proposal. Find details of your local councillors.

The processing of applications can take up to 12 weeks. If you apply within the recommended 12 week timeframe, any money spent before receiving approval from councillors will be at your own risk.

Get advice and guidance on your proposal

Seek specialist advice and guidance from relevant council teams before applying to City Living, Local Life.

Last updated: 15 July 2025