This new initiative – called Propel – is about giving the capital’s civil society and communities the flexibility and capacity to explore, develop and lead collaborative ways of tackling some of London’s biggest challenges.
Grants will prioritise the communities experiencing structural inequality and the civil society groups who are best placed to make change happen.
Funding will focus on three ‘missions’ set out by the London Recovery Board, the body which guides the capital’s post-covid recovery – mentoring and activities for young people, providing support for people experiencing financial hardship and building strong communities.
Propel will fund organisations’ time to explore issues, test different approaches, listen to what is working and what new challenges are arising, and adapt as needed. The new funding initiative will enable grantees to work with others, across different sectors, with different experiences and expertise, building strong relationships where we can challenge and support each other, and where the voices of those most affected by the issues are at the heart of the conversations.
Starting with a small grant to give equity-led organisations the capacity to explore what systemic changes they want to make, or a larger grant for civil society organisations to build on and scale up existing work to deliver and develop , the initial grants will likely lead onto an opportunity to bid for a long-term (5+ years), extended flexible funding partnership.
The future is uncertain, but by coming together to build trust and understanding on issues, we can tackle root causes, not just symptoms. Together, we can be flexible and responsive to the challenges and opportunities ahead, so that people across London’s communities can live better lives.
Organisations can find more information and apply for funding online at www.londonpropel.org.uk
If you're a funder who shares the ambition of developing bold, innovative, and creative programmes, sharing risks together to learn, unlearn and achieve more than the sum of our parts, then we want to hear from you. If you’re interested in joining us for this first wave of funding, or would like to explore coming with us on this journey for the years ahead, then please let us know and we'll be happy to arrange a call to discuss further.