What the Future Camden Fund is
The Future Camden Fund is our programme to support small businesses to build a better future for Camden and its residents.
How we will fund small businesses
Small businesses applying to the Future Camden Fund can be awarded a loan or Match Trading grant. The total fund value is £350,000.
Match Trading matches an increase in sales income with a grant. If you make an extra £1,000, we will award you another £1,000. Businesses will also have access to a package of support to help them on their journey.
Who can apply
The fund is open to small businesses that believe they have had a positive impact on the borough.
We are particularly keen to hear from small businesses that:
- work towards a more inclusive and sustainable economy
- are Black and female owned, as data shows that there can be barriers to funding
Projects are selected based on their impact.
We expect demand to be high, so recommend submitting your application as soon as you can.
Application criteria
Your project should meet the following application criteria:
- You are based in Camden or can show that a large amount of your work is done locally and benefits local people
- You are a micro or small business with fewer than 50 employees
- You are registered with Companies House or the Charity Commission
- You have a clear, innovative, and realistic project idea that you would like to fund
Your project should also meet one of the Inclusive Economy outcomes:
- Providing education and training for local people
- Delivering programmes for young people
- Improving digital inclusion
- Addressing underrepresentation
- Supporting diverse and local supply chains
- Access to Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM)
- Supporting citizens’ health and wellbeing
- Promoting sustainability, net zero or more ethical choices
- Supporting other small businesses
If you are applying for Match Funding, there should be a clear trading component to your project. This is income that is earned by selling a product or service.
Find out more in the application guidance.
How to apply
The Future Camden Fund launches Monday 2 October. It will run until all the funding has been allocated.
Complete the expression of interest form which should take 5 to 10 minutes.
Register an expression of interest
After you apply
Project proposal
If you meet the application criteria, we will ask you for more information about your:
- project
- budget
- delivery plan
- finances
We will send you a simple online application form. You will have the option to upload documents such as your business plan, pitch deck, impact report or a video.
We are also carrying out informal conversations and site visits so that we can better understand your work.
Panel decision
We will consider all parts of your application. Recommendations will be put forward to an independent panel of senior council officers and local business experts.
We will be scoring applications to make sure that we are objective and fair in our decisions as we unfortunately cannot fund every project.
It is important that your application fully explains your goals and how your project benefits local people.
Rolling deadline
We want organisations to have time to hear about the Fund and put forward their best application. You can submit a submission of interest from 2 October 2023 until all funding has been allocated.