Brent Cross Town's community fund reopened with £50,000 in grants of £3,000 to £10,000 for Barnet projects. Applications close on Monday 26 October.

Community groups anywhere in Barnet have until Monday 26 October to bid for a share of £50,000.

The Brent Cross Town Community Fund reopened on Thursday 17 September. Grants are worth between £3,000 and £10,000. They are open to projects across the London Borough of Barnet, not only those near the development.

What the fund is looking for this year

Each round has a theme, and 2026’s is narrower than some. The fund says it wants projects focused on education, employment, skills and training.

Its reasoning is tied to the building site on its doorstep. Brent Cross Town says businesses are moving in and the construction programme is expected to run for many more years, so the aim is to help local people reach the work that comes with it.

That is worth reading carefully before you apply. A project that would have fitted an earlier round on, say, green space or wellbeing may not fit this one.

Who can apply

The fund lists the following as eligible:

  • formal and informal community groups
  • local charities and local branches of national charities
  • schools and educational organisations
  • not-for-profit organisations
  • residents associations
  • social enterprises

Previous winners are allowed to apply again.

How to apply, and what happens next

Applications go through ActionFunder, where a group sets up a profile and creates a project. A pitch can be written or submitted as a video, which is a lower barrier than most grant forms.

The timetable from here:

  • Monday 26 October 2026: applications close
  • November: a judging panel of local stakeholders announces a shortlist
  • Late November: the public votes on which shortlisted projects should be funded

The public vote is the part worth noting if your group does not apply. Barnet residents get a say in where the money lands.

What it has paid for before

Brent Cross Town says the fund has awarded £330,000 across 69 projects since it started, and that more than 17,000 people have benefited.

Two of the 2025 winners give a sense of the range. Construction Youth Trust is running a project with local secondary school pupils about the construction and development industries, using the Brent Cross Town site itself. artsdepot in North Finchley is using its grant to support participants with special educational needs into training and work experience in the creative industries.

Who is behind it

Brent Cross Town is a joint venture between Related Argent and Barnet Council, and part of the wider Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration. The developer’s published figures for the scheme are 6,700 new homes, 3m sq ft of office space, 50 new shops, cafes and restaurants, and more than 50 acres of parks and playing fields.

We reported this month on the 82 social rent homes approved at the development.

What it means for you

If you run a small group, the useful number here is £3,000. That is the floor, not the ceiling, so this is not a fund aimed only at established charities with fundraising staff. A scout group, a supplementary school, a residents association or a jobs club can all apply, and a video pitch means you do not need a grant writer.

If you do not run anything, the date to note is late November, when the shortlist goes to a public vote.

One practical warning: the deadline is a Monday. ActionFunder profiles take a little setting up, so a group starting on the Sunday night is cutting it fine.

Sources

More Barnet information: things to do in Barnet, planning applications, bin collection days.