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From Barnet to Bexley, these grants will be used to help distribute necessary supplies to communities in need. The full list of funded groups will be published on the website at www.londoncommunityresponsefund.org.uk
This news comes alongside the announcement that more funders have contributed to the London Community Response, bringing the total funds pledged to over £10 million. They are:
- The Access to Justice Foundation
- Battersea Power Station Foundation
- Camden Giving
- East End Community Foundation
- Lankelly Chase
- Legal Education Foundation
- MOPAC
- Wembley National Stadium Trust
- and the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants.
London Funders – the membership organisation for funders of London’s civil society - has coordinated this response after recognising an increasing need from the capital’s civil society organisations to receive emergency financial support as a result of covid-19. Charities have been impacted doubly by their fundraising capacity being significantly reduced and having to reimagine the services that they provide almost overnight.
The founding funders - the Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation’s Charitable Funder, the City Bridge Trust - both contributed £1m each to launch the London Community Response. They encourage more funders to get on board to support communities most in need.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:
“I’m delighted that the London Community Response has risen to more than £10m in just over two weeks and that the first 100 groups have now received funding. This vital fund will enable many more organisations to continue providing their key services throughout the coronavirus crisis.
“Even in the grip of a public health emergency Londoners are pulling together, with their compassion and generosity showcasing the very best of our city.
“I urge all eligible groups facing uncertainty as a result of the outbreak of covid-19 to apply to the fund so that they can continue supporting London’s most vulnerable communities.”
One of the organisations to receive funding from the London Community Response is Home-Start Southwark. Their £5,000 grant means that Home-Start can ensure that the families that they work with get access to food. This will help to reduce financial stress and ensure they have basic supplies to see them through these unprecedented times.
Cheryl Rhodes (Director, Home-Start Southwark) said:
“The difference this makes to families cannot be overstated. This funding gives them some security they can look after their children in the immediate future and it gives people a sense of self-direction and personal autonomy at a time when this is largely removed from them.”
The second wave of funding from the London Community Response will be launched tomorrow. This will continue to include grants for crisis response, meeting the immediate needs of communities, as well as larger grants for organisations to deliver their services in new ways to ensure they can continue to support Londoners through the coming months.