£1m going to organisations addressing inequalities in London

Funding worth £1m is going to community organisations supporting Londoners cope with the impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis the Mayor of London has said.

Under the Civil Society Roots programme grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 will be given to organisations across 10 city boroughs.

Money will help to increase collaboration, commission research, recruit new staff, and provide capital to help organisations support those most impacted by social inequalities, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners, disabled citizens, LGBTQ+ Londoners, women and the elderly.

The programme is part of a partnership between City Hall, the City of London Corporation’s charity funder City Bridge Trust and The National Lottery Community Fund.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘Structural inequalities have long existed in the capital, but these have been exacerbated as Londoners contend with the dual impact of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

‘I’m delighted that City Hall has partnered with the City Bridge Trust and The National Lottery Community Fund to fund community organisations supporting Londoners who are persistently disadvantaged in all major areas of life, including education, the labour market, housing, the environment, criminal justice, culture and health. By working together, we can build a better London for everyone – a safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for all.’

Grants of £50,000 have been awarded to ten organisations to help improve their impact, with Money A+E UK in Newham one of the charities to benefit.

It’s been decided the grant will fund a new Partnerships Manager for the organisations which works to provide community groups with accessible money advice and education.

Empowering Deaf Society in Redbridge, which provides services for d/Deaf Londoners, will also receive £49,874 to help them train staff in BSL, develop empowerment networks and help more people in need.

Additionally, development grants of between £1,000 to £5,000 have been awarded to 21 organisations to allow them to test ideas and build partnerships with other community groups.

Photo by Yulian Alexeyev