Investing in Neighbourhoods Fund (Merton)

Description

Merton Council's grant fund for community-led projects addressing the demands new development places on neighbourhoods, financed through the Community Infrastructure Levy (previously branded the Neighbourhood Fund). Open to constituted community/voluntary organisations and individual residents with an idea the council can deliver; past awards range from a few thousand pounds (e.g. £4,500 for station-area improvements) to tens of thousands (e.g. £75,000 for a playground upgrade).

Eligibility summary

• Available in: England.
• Open to individuals — not restricted to businesses.

Notes

Re-verified 2026-08-19: reopening (7 September 2026) and closing (12 October 2026) dates confirmed unchanged, with the same lengthy assessment timetable (Cabinet decisions around March 2027, payments not before June 2027). Additional detail found on this pass: the council states a minimum recommended bid of £20,000, with no published maximum — consistent with, but more specific than, the roughly £4,500-£89,000 range of past awards already recorded. Successful organisations other than the council itself must sign a grant agreement, including Subsidy Control Act 2022 due diligence.

Requirement

Constituted organisations able to bid for grant funding, or any Merton resident with a project idea the council itself could deliver, with endorsement from at least one Merton councillor (excluding Cabinet members). Bids are assessed against local need, expected community benefit, and deliverability within roughly a two-year timeframe.