The Thrive Fund
The Thrive Fund funds local projects to support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. Applications for the first round of the Thrive Fund will close at 9:00 on the morning of 1st July.
What is The Thrive Fund?
We have approx. £300,000 in funding from NHS North East London ICB to fund local projects that support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
The Council is administering this money as it makes the process of giving local groups money easier.
This is a community-led process guided by the principles of the THRIVE Framework. A panel of residents, including children, young people and parent carers, will influence which projects we fund.
We want this funding to work for the voluntary and community sector, local groups, and us as ‘commissioners’. We want to make sure there is equity of opportunity for organisations to apply.
We are looking for projects that:
- Support the emotional wellbeing of children, young people and families aged 0-18 (up to 25 for care-experienced people and those with SEND).
- Support any of the priority groups listed below.
- Centre residents' lived experiences.
Priority groups
- Children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND and their families with or without / awaiting diagnosis.
- Marginalised children, young people and families, including but not limited to
- global majority backgrounds
- d/Deaf residents
- LGBTQIA+
- those with disabilities
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- migrant, refugee and asylum seeking families
- unhoused families / those in temporary accommodation
- those not in education or work etc.
- those open to the youth justice system
- those who have experienced exploitation
- care experienced children, young people and their families.
- Children, young people and families that currently don’t meet statutory thresholds for services or where this meets a need / gap in service provision.
Please note, we also operate the Live Well Havering Community Chest. If your project is more suitable to the Community Chest fund we will ask for your permission to move your application.
The criteria
We are looking for projects that improve children, young people and families' emotional wellbeing.
You can bid for new or existing projects.
Projects can be a one-off/series of events or a project lasting a number of months. We can’t fund materials alone; they must be linked to a project.
Organisations must have an income of less than £2m to bid.
Groups must be one of the following.
- A registered CIC
- Registered CIOs
- Company limited by guarantee
- Cooperative
- Community Benefit Society
- Constituted group/organisation
- Unincorporated Association with UK Registered Charity Status
Groups are welcome to join up to bid together if they wish - contact us to be put in contact with like-minded organisations.
Groups must be running their project in Havering for Havering residents.
Groups can submit multiple bids if they wish.
Groups need to already have a good relationship with the audience they wish to work with/have a plan of how to reach their audience.
Groups/projects must pass due diligence. This will be project-specific, and we can talk through what this looks like for your project if it is a concern.
How decisions will be made
It’s important that we deliver meaningful, purposeful projects that our communities influence and shape.
The Council team will check that the bid meets the essential criteria. Then, they will ask groups to provide due diligence documents.
Once the due diligence has been carried out, successful applicants will be invited to present their project to a community panel.
The panel is made up of local people - children, young people and parent carers who will be impacted by this work. The panel scores will be used to inform the funding decision, though, discretion may be required in exceptional circumstances.
We have sought as many diverse lived experiences as possible to make sure it is fair.
Stage 1: Expression of Interest, May - July 2026
You can apply on our online portal.
We know that written bids are not accessible to everyone, so you can submit a written application or a video.
The application must answer some questions:
- What project are you planning on doing?
- Why are you doing it?
- Why is it needed?
- Where are you doing it?
- How much money do you need and what will you spend it on?
- What difference will this project make for children and young people? Please include reference to the THRIVE framework.
- How are you going to reach your target audience?
- What evidence is there to show there is a need for your project?
You will also be asked to indicate whether you can provide essential documents, such as a constitution and safeguarding policy.
Applications will open in May 2026.
Stage 2: Due diligence, August - September 2026
Successful applicants will be asked to provide essential documentation by 12th September 2026:
- A constitution
- A bank account in the group's name
- Safeguarding policies
- An appropriate level of insurance
- A project plan, risk register, and budget - using this template
- x2 professional references
These documents will be reviewed and assessed by the council, who will be carrying out due diligence.
We will be assessing:
- Quality of plan: does your plan make sense, are the aims achievable, is their clear accountability, are risks mitigated?
- Budget: Is the budget reasonable for the project being planned and are all expenses accounted for? Will this project be successful with this budget?
- Impact: how will you track the impact of this project? How will you present the impact?
- Are you best-placed to run this project: Do you have the experience and qualifications to run this project?
If your documents are approved you will be invited to book a slot at our community panels.
If there are any concerns, or you are unable to provide any of the documents at this stage, you will not move forward to the community panel.
We are here to support you through this process. You can find resources to help you get your documents together on our website. Remember, if you want to apply for funding in the future a constitution, bank account, and safeguarding policy is crucial. Therefore, we recommend starting to get these documents in place even if they won't be ready in time for this fund.
Stage 3: Community Panels, October 2026
You will present your project to a community panel of local children, young people, and carers. The panel will ask you a set of questions. These will be shared with you in advance.
Stage 4: Delivery and impact
We are hoping successful applicants will get their funds in November/December 2026.
You will need to provide monitoring and impact reporting throughout your project.
We may also arrange a visit to see your project in action!
