Derwent London

Charity Number: CUSTOM_9617EC49

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £150,000 (Community Fund) + £300,000+ (broader charitable giving)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Approximately 6-8 weeks (from deadline to announcement)
  • Grant Range: £2,000 - £5,000
  • Geographic Focus: Fitzrovia & West End, and Tech Belt (King's Cross to Whitechapel, EC1 and E1)

Contact Details

Website: www.derwentlondon.com/community-fund

Email: community@derwentlondon.com

Phone: 020 7659 3000

Contact Person: Helen Joscelyne, Community & Social Value Manager

Overview

Derwent London plc is a FTSE 250 property investment and development company and the largest London office-focused Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). While not a registered charity itself, the company launched its voluntary Community Fund in Fitzrovia in 2013, extending it to the Tech Belt area in 2016. Since inception, the fund has invested approximately £1.2 million in over 180 grassroots community projects across central London. The company has committed £150,000 annually, divided equally between Community Fund West (Fitzrovia & West End) and Community Fund East (Tech Belt). Beyond the Community Fund, Derwent London distributes over £300,000 annually to charitable causes, with a particular focus on mental health support and organisations helping people experiencing or facing homelessness. CEO Paul Williams, appointed in 2019, has demonstrated strong commitment to social responsibility, including pledging the business to net zero carbon by 2030.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Fund West (Fitzrovia & West End)

  • £75,000 available annually
  • Registered charities: up to £5,000
  • Non-registered groups, businesses and individual applicants: up to £2,000
  • Typically spring and autumn rounds

Community Fund East (Tech Belt)

  • £75,000 available annually
  • Registered charities: up to £5,000
  • Non-registered groups, businesses and individual applicants: up to £2,000
  • Multi-year funding available for certain groups
  • Typically spring and autumn rounds

Priority Areas

The fund supports projects that offer positive benefits across:

  • Social and wellbeing initiatives: Community engagement, senior care, volunteer programmes
  • Cultural and arts projects: Live music, theatre, festivals, creative activities
  • Health programmes: Mental health support, healthy activities
  • Education and skills development: STEAM education, career mentoring, youth programmes
  • Community cohesion: Projects that bring people together and support local residents

Recent funded projects include live music for wellbeing, community meals, youth drop-ins, cultural festivals, art and craft programmes, and career mentoring schemes.

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the fund is clearly focused on grassroots community projects within their geographic boundaries. Support appears to be in addition to required community contributions from planning agreements, suggesting they prioritise voluntary community benefit rather than statutory obligations.

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Governance and Leadership

Paul Williams, Chief Executive - Appointed CEO in 2019, Williams has overall responsibility for Group strategy, business development, and sustainability. One of his first actions as CEO was committing the business to net zero carbon by 2030. He chairs Sadler's Wells Foundation, chairs the New West End Company (NWEC), and serves on the Responsible Business committee, demonstrating strong commitment to community and cultural engagement.

Helen Joscelyne, Community & Social Value Manager - Leads the Community Fund programme and community engagement initiatives. She has commented: "We are pleased to announce the successful recipients of [the] Fitzrovia & West End Community Fund. All the selected projects speak to the importance of community engagement and will support people by inviting them to come together and get involved in a range of activities." She has emphasised the company's approach to fostering meaningful relationships and applying their social value strategic framework.

Sponsorship & Donations Committee - Distributes approximately £350,000 annually across beneficiaries, regularly reviewing focus areas to ensure support addresses the most pertinent issues of the day.

Diversity & Inclusion Committee - Staff from this committee contribute to Community Fund decision-making, reflecting Derwent London's commitment to wider accessibility and inclusion.

How to Apply to Derwent London

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online via SurveyMonkey. Detailed guidance notes are available for download from the Community Fund webpage for each geographic area (West and East).

To ensure wider accessibility, diversity and inclusion, Derwent London consulted with Chickenshed, an inclusive theatre group, to adapt the application process and scope of the fund.

Interested parties can email community@derwentlondon.com to be added to the launch notification mailing list for either Community Fund West or Community Fund East.

Decision Timeline

Applications are typically considered twice annually in spring and autumn rounds. The timeline from application deadline to announcement is approximately 6-8 weeks.

Selection Process

Applications are reviewed by representatives from:

  • Derwent London staff (including Diversity & Inclusion Committee members)
  • Local authority officers
  • An independent consultant

A community panel convenes to assess applications, selecting projects based on positive social, wellbeing, cultural, arts, and health benefits to local communities.

Success Rates

According to Helen Joscelyne, the company has been “overwhelmed by the number and quality of recipients,” making the decision process “extremely tough.” Specific success rate statistics are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not publicly detailed. Contact community@derwentlondon.com for guidance on reapplications.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Local Communities: Projects must benefit local community groups, residents, or businesses within the specific geographic boundaries (Fitzrovia & West End or Tech Belt areas).

Community Engagement Focus: As Helen Joscelyne emphasised, successful projects “speak to the importance of community engagement and will support people by inviting them to come together and get involved in a range of activities.”

Multiple Benefit Areas: Strong applications demonstrate positive impacts across social, cultural, arts, health, or wellbeing dimensions. Projects combining multiple benefit areas appear particularly competitive.

Grassroots Approach: The fund explicitly targets “grassroots projects,” suggesting preference for locally-rooted, community-led initiatives over larger institutional programmes.

Diversity and Inclusion: The application process has been specifically adapted for wider accessibility, diversity and inclusion. Applications demonstrating inclusive approaches are likely to resonate with the decision-making panel, which includes Diversity & Inclusion Committee representation.

Recent Funded Projects as Examples

Tech Belt Recipients:

  • Live music for wellbeing programmes
  • STEAM online education
  • Core funding for volunteer organisations
  • Youth theatre and arts programmes
  • Career mentoring for young people
  • Film school initiatives

Fitzrovia & West End Recipients:

  • Senior care programmes
  • Cultural festivals and masquerades
  • Community meal programmes
  • Youth sport drop-ins
  • Art and craft programmes for women's mental health
  • Piano festivals

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic specificity is critical: Ensure your project clearly serves communities within either the Fitzrovia & West End area or the Tech Belt (King's Cross to Whitechapel, EC1/E1). Projects outside these boundaries will not be considered.
  • Emphasise community engagement: Use language around bringing people together, fostering participation, and supporting local residents to get involved. This aligns directly with the fund's stated priorities.
  • Consider multi-year funding: Certain groups can now apply for multi-year funding under Community Fund East. If your project requires sustained support, explore this option in the guidance notes.
  • Higher funding for registered charities: If your organisation is a registered charity, you can apply for up to £5,000 versus £2,000 for non-registered groups. Ensure your registration status is clearly stated.
  • Demonstrate multiple benefits: Successful projects typically offer benefits across several dimensions—social, cultural, arts, health, or wellbeing. Frame your application to show impact across multiple areas.
  • Align with focus areas: The company has emphasised mental health support and homelessness/housing insecurity. While not explicitly required, projects addressing these themes may have strategic alignment with the company's broader charitable priorities.
  • Join the mailing list: Register at community@derwentlondon.com to receive notifications about application rounds, ensuring you don't miss deadlines and can plan submissions in advance.

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References

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