TfL walking and cycling grants: £500k to help Londoners ‘from all walks of life’ walk and cycle

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that applications are open for more than £500,000 of grants for community and not-for-profit groups that encourage people to walk and cycle.

Walking and Cycling Grants London aims to enable more people to walk and cycle in the capital, looking at barriers that stop people from getting active and helping to make London a more sustainable city.

The projects aim to give participants the chance to connect with their local communities, learn new skills, get active and improve their physical and mental health.

How to apply for TfL walking and cycling grants

The TfL funded programme offers two types of payments:

• Grants of £10,000 over three years to run smaller projects throughout London
• Community ideas grants that are based on previous successes in other communities.

Potential applicants to the scheme will be able to browse successful former projects on the Community Ideas Hub, and then apply for funding of £5,000 for a single year to replicate these in their local community.

Applications for both grants are now open and can be accessed at wcgl.london. The application window is open until 5pm on September 1. Successful applications are set to be announced in November 2023.

TfL walking and cycling

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said:  “The mayor and I want Londoners from all walks of life to feel enabled to walk and cycle, so I’m delighted that even more community groups will now benefit from our walking and cycling grants to boost active travel in underrepresented groups.

“By showing that walking and cycling are convenient, easy and fun ways to get around, we can help improve the health and quality of life of more Londoners, as well as reduce toxic air pollution and tackle the climate crisis. Local community organisations have a key role to play in supporting the mayor’s aim to continue building a greener, more sustainable London for everyone.”

London ‘behaviour change’

Miranda Leedham, head of customer marketing and behaviour change at TfL, said: “Breaking down the barriers that prevent people accessing the many benefits of walking and cycling is a vital part of making the capital a healthier and more sustainable city for all. We’ve seen more than 68,000 participants benefit from our walking and cycling grants funding since 2016 and are excited to see even more Londoners of all ages and backgrounds get active with our funding scheme.”

Cycling and walking schemes

TfL says the scheme has helped more than 68,000 people in 33 London boroughs to benefit from walking and cycling, with activities including rides for children with disabilities, learning to cycle or repair bikes, or walks for people suffering from ill health or isolation.

Last year, 87 new projects were awarded funding through the scheme bringing the total number of projects supported since 2016 to 307. They included a project for residents across Brent and Harrow, Carib & Co Brunch, aimed at making walking and cycling easier and more accessible to black and ethnic minority adults aged 18-45 with disabilities such as dyslexia to show the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Other projects included L’Arche in Lambeth who developed 10 walking and cycling sessions to encourage people with learning disabilities or additional needs to stay active.

Sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates, and follow LondonWorld on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Email us at hello@LondonWorld.com