Voluntary Section Support Fund 2027-30 Information

Introduction

This page will provide additional clarification about the Voluntary Sector Support Fund (VSSF) 2027–30. This information should be read alongside the Programme Guidance.

About the Fund

1. The Voluntary Sector Support Fund (VSSF)

The VSSF provides core funding to voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations delivering services that improve life for residents in Kensington and Chelsea.

The fund supports organisations that work with residents experiencing deprivation or vulnerability, provide early intervention and preventative support, and contribute to a strong and collaborative voluntary sector.

2. How long the programme runs

The funding programme runs for three years, from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030.

3. Available funding

The total programme value is £2.6 million over three years.

4. Purpose of the fund

The fund aims to:

help residents earlier so their needs are addressed sooner, reducing the need for Council services
build a collaborative and resilient voluntary and community sector network in the brough that
works in partnership with the Council to meet residents’ needs
improve outcomes for residents experiencing disadvantage or vulnerability
maximise the impact of Council investment by leveraging additional external funding and capacity

5. Why the Council is asking about early intervention and reducing demand on Council services

The Council recognises the important role voluntary organisations play in supporting residents earlier and in community settings.

In the VSSF programme, organisations are encouraged to demonstrate how their work helps residents before issues escalate, for example by providing advice, community support, early help or preventative services.

This does not mean organisations are expected to replace Council services. Instead, the Council is interested in how voluntary sector activity complements statutory services and contributes to improved outcomes for residents.

Types of Grants

6. Available grants

Three funding strands are available:

Infrastructure Grant (£150,000)
Open Grant (£80,000)
Small Grants Fund (£25,000)

These figures show the Year 1 value of each grant. Infrastructure and Open Grants reduce year-on-year over the three-year programme.

The Small Grants Fund will be administered by the K+C Foundation, and is due to open later this year.

7. Applying for more than one grant

Organisations may apply for one grant strand only.

8. The difference between Infrastructure and Open Grants

Infrastructure Grants support organisations that strengthen the local voluntary and community sector. This may include support such as:

organisational capacity building
fundraising advice and support
developing volunteering opportunities
strengthening collaboration across the voluntary sector
improving the resilience of voluntary organisations

Open Grants support organisations that directly deliver services that benefit residents experiencing disadvantage and/or vulnerability.

9. What “year‑on‑year reduction” means for Infrastructure Grant and Open Grant awards

A year‑on‑year reduction means that the amount of funding awarded decreases slightly each year over the three‑year funding period. You receive the full amount in Year 1, a reduced amount in Year 2, and a further reduced amount in Year 3.

Grant funding by programme and year
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Total
Infrastructure Grant	£150,000	£135,000	£121,500	£406,500
Open Grant	£80,000	£72,000	£64,800	£216,800
Small Grants Fund	£25,000	£25,000	£25,000	£75,000

10. When the Small Grants Fund opens

The Small Grants Fund will be administered by the K+C Foundation, not directly by the Council. For more information about the fund and to find out when the fund will open visit the K+C Foundation website.

11. Why the Small Grants Fund doesn't have the same year-on-year reductions

The awards that are made under the Small Grants Fund (£25,000) are smaller so these will not reduce year-on-year.

Eligibility

12. Who can apply

Eligible organisations must be one of the following:

Registered charity
Community Interest Company (CIC)
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

13. Who is not eligible to apply

Organisations and groups that operate on a for‑profit basis are not eligible to apply for funding. This includes companies that are limited by shares. Funding is also not available to individuals or to organisations whose work does not, or will not, deliver clear benefits for residents of Kensington and Chelsea.

Additionally, organisations that do not demonstrate a constructive working relationship with the Council, or whose activities run counter to the Council’s stated aims and strategic priorities, will not be considered for funding. The VSSF is intended to support organisations that contribute positively to shared outcomes for residents and work in partnership with the Council and the wider voluntary and community sector.

14. Income limits

Infrastructure or Open Grant applicants must have an annual operational income below £3 million.

Small Grants Fund applicants must have annual income below £250,000.

15. Operating outside of Kensington and Chelsea

If fewer than 75% of beneficiaries are residents, further explanation will be required in both the EOI and Full Application stages.

16. Organisations applying as partnerships

Partnership or consortium bids are allowed. One organisation must act as the lead organisation and will be responsible for managing the grant, including issuing service level agreements and submitting monitoring data.

17. Additional criteria apply to Infrastructure Grants

Applicants must demonstrate a track record of supporting the voluntary sector in areas such as:

organisational capacity building
fundraising advice and support
volunteering support
strengthening sector resilience and collaboration.

What VSSF Funding Can Be Used For

18. What the funding can pay for

VSSF funding can only be used for core organisational costs, such as:

staff salaries
management and administration
rent and utilities
governance and operational costs
systems or infrastructure needed to run services, i.e. staff/volunteer training, venue hire, publicity etc.

19. Using funding for specific projects

The VSSF 2027-30 programme provides core funding rather than project funding.

20. Organisations contributions to match funding

Match funding is not mandatory. However, one of the Council’s aims is to provide core support that helps organisations attract additional funding and resources where possible.

What VSSF Funding Cannot Be Used For

21. What can’t be funded by the grant

The VSSF programme will not provide grants for:

furthering political aims, campaigns and lobbies
services that promote religious interests and objectives. However, a faith organisation can apply if their project would benefit all members of the community, from all faiths.
statutory services (services that are provided by the Local Authority, required by Law)
schools
individuals
capital only bids
loan repayments
any projects that do not benefit residents of Kensington and Chelsea
duplication of services that are being or have been funded by other Council departments or are covered by statutory services

Application Process

22. Before starting your Expression of Interest (EOI), please note the following:

the application process has two stages: an Expression of Interest (EOI) followed by a Full Application (by invitation only)
organisations may apply for one grant strand only
VSSF funding provides core organisational funding, not project funding
applications must be submitted through the Plinth online platform before the deadline
organisations should ensure they meet the eligibility criteria before submitting an application
detailed financial and governance information will be requested only from organisations invited to submit a Full Application

23. How organisations apply

The first stage is completing an EOI. The EOI helps the Council confirm eligibility and assess how well the organisation aligns with the programme’s priorities and requirements.

Go to the Plinth website and register to complete the EOI form.

24. Why the application process has two stages

The EOI stage allows organisations to outline their purpose, the residents or other beneficiaries they support, and how their work aligns with the programme’s priorities before being asked to complete a more detailed application. This helps avoid organisations from spending significant time completing a full application only to find that their proposal is not closely aligned with the aims of the programme.

25. Expression of Interest stage opening date

EOI submissions open on Monday 16 March 2026.

26. EOI submission deadlines

EOIs close at 12pm (noon) on Thursday 30 April 2026.

27. How organisations progress to the second stage

Only organisations that meet the required expectations under the scoring framework at the EOI stage will be invited to submit a Full Application.

28. When organisations will know if they are shortlisted to submit a full application

Shortlisted applicants will be notified in May and invited to submit a full application in June.

29. Final decisions

We expect to share funding decisions in October 2026.

Expression of Interest

30. Purpose of the EOI stage

The EOI helps the Council:

confirm eligibility
understand the organisation’s purpose and beneficiaries
assess strategic fit with Council priorities
shortlist organisations for full application

31. How Expressions of Interest are assessed

Expressions of Interest will be assessed by a panel of Council officers using a scoring framework as a guide.

Assessment criteria and weightings
Section	Weighting
Core purpose and beneficiaries	15%
Supporting residents experiencing deprivation	25%
Reducing demand for council services	25%
Impact on residents	20%
Equalities, inclusion and accessibility	5%
Track record and reliability	10%
Total	100%

The assessment focuses particularly on:

how organisations are supporting residents experiencing deprivation
how work contributes to early intervention and prevention
how work helps to reduce demand on Council services

The criteria relating to supporting residents experiencing deprivation and reducing demand on Council services together account for 50% of the overall score, reflecting the programme’s strategic priorities.

Additionally, an organisation’s track record, good governance and meeting monitoring arrangements will be reviewed to support the assessment.

32. High scoring EOIs invitations to make a full applications

The Council is looking to fund organisations that are aligned with the same priorities and strategic goals, and that can demonstrate a genuine ability and willingness to work in partnership with the Council (or equivalent statutory partners) for the collective benefit of the community

33. How detailed should the EOI be

Responses should be clear and concise. The EOI focuses on:

organisational purpose
beneficiaries
outcomes for residents experiencing deprivation
how the work supports early intervention and prevention
organisational track record, governance and monitoring.

Detailed financial information is requested later at the Full Application stage.

34. Word limits

The online system enforces word limits for many questions.

35. The difference between the terms “must” and “may” in the guidance

Where the word “must” is used, it indicates a mandatory requirement that organisations are required to meet. Where “may” is used, it indicates something that is optional or that the Council may request at its discretion.

Full Application Stage

36. What happens if an organisation is shortlisted

Shortlisted organisations will be invited to:

complete a full application form
upload a detailed budget form
provide information about finances, governance and delivery

A more detailed guidance note will be shared with shortlisted applicants at the Full Application stage.

37. What the Council assess at this stage

Applications will be assessed on range of things including:

organisational capacity
financial sustainability
alignment with Council priorities
value for money
impact for residents

A more detailed guidance note will be shared with shortlisted applicants at the Full Application stage.

38. Guaranteed funding for full applications

Funding is competitive and submitting a full application does not guarantee an award.

39. How final funding decisions are made

Final funding decisions are made by the Council following the assessment process. Applications will be evaluated against the published criteria and programme priorities.

The Council may also consider the overall balance of organisations, services and communities supported across the borough to ensure the programme delivers the greatest benefit for residents.

The Council’s funding decisions are final. There is no right to appeal.

Monitoring and Governance

40. What policies and procedures organisations must have in place

Organisations must confirm they have appropriate policies including:

health and safety
equality and diversity
safeguarding adults and children (where applicable)
risk management

Additionally, organisations – and partners, where relevant – must have suitable employers’ liability and public liability insurance.

41. Required financial documents

Applicants may be asked to provide:

recent annual accounts
management accounts
cashflow forecasts
bank statements

42. Checking the history of previous funding

The Council may review previous grant delivery, compliance and reporting performance.

Support for Applicants

43. Information sessions

Online information sessions will be held in March and April to explain the EOI process and answer questions. Attendance is optional but booking is required.

44. Who organisations can contact for support

Applicants can contact the Council’s VCS Partnerships team at [email protected]

45. Requesting accessible versions of the application form

Applicants can request an accessible version by contacting the VCS Partnerships team at [email protected]

Technical Questions

46. The platform you will use for the application

EOIs and full applications are completed online using the Plinth platform.

47. Saving the form and completing later

The platform allows applicants to save progress and return later using the same link you used to access Plinth.

48. Starting the form without creating a Plinth account

You must create an account using an email and unique password.

49. Resuming your application on another device

This is possible, if you are logged into a Plinth account.

50. How you should navigate through the sections in the form

To move between sections of the application form, please use the numbered section tabs within the form itself.

If you use the back and forward buttons in your browser, it may cause you to lose unsaved changes.

51. Why some sections appear or disappear

The form includes conditional questions, meaning some sections will only appear depending on the options selected earlier in the form.

For example, selecting Single Application or Partnership Application will display different sets of questions.

52. Why you may see green ticks on sections you have not completed

Green ticks are part of the platform’s display behaviour and do not necessarily mean that a section is complete.

Applicants should review each section carefully to ensure that all required questions have been answered before submitting the form.

53. What you should do if the page freezes or buttons stop working

If you experience technical issues, you may wish to try:

check your internet connection
use the chat function in the bottom right-hand corner to communicate with the Plinth team
refreshing the page
clearing your browser cache
switching to a different browser
logging out and logging back in

Using an up-to-date browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox is recommended.

54. How you will know if your application has been submitted

Applicants will receive:

an email confirmation
an option to download the application as a PDF

Last updated: 17 March 2026

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