Recent meetings

24 October 2013
The localisation of the Social Fund: the first six months
This London Funders meeting with the Association of Charitable Organisations and Child Poverty Action Group gave the opportunity to discuss the first six months' experience of the localised arrangements. We heard some stimulating thoughts from our speakers and the chair, Patrick Butler, editor social, health and education policy at The Guardian led the audience in a very full discussion. A full report of the meeting is available here.

15 October 2013
Demystifying destitution
This meeting was held on 15th October at Trust for London and gave an opportunity to share expertise and knowledge on tackling migrant homelessness and for non-specialist funders to have a rapid update on this challenging field.
A report is available here.

26 September 2013
Youth work works? Impact and value in funding work with children and young people
There is a crisis in youth work funding: a recent survey shows one third of youth projects face closure in the next year. Are some funders held back by a worry about how to identify good quality services that will be effective in delivering outcomes? This meeting offered funders in London examples of how to benchmark the quality of youth work intervention and a chance to hear each other’s experience of funding youth services and projects. A joint meeting with John Lyon’s Charity.
See the presentation slides below:
Craig Tomlinson, Policy and Learning Manager and Helen Morton, Regional Officer, London & South East, BBC Children in Need
Rosie Ferguson, Chief Executive, London Youth
Erik Mesel, John Lyon's Charity
Amy Hochadel, Programme Manager, Project Oracle

14 May 2013
Understanding Insolvency
A seminar (14 May 2013) offered to members of London Funders by Russell-Cooke Solicitors went a long way towards enlightening participants on the trail that can lead to insolvency in voluntary organisations and spotting the points where there might be some way of helping with a survival strategy.
See the slides from our speakers Andrew Studd, Russell-Cooke and Ian Oakley-Smith, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
See London Funders report on the seminar here.

Localisation of the Social Fund: countdown to change
A London Funders meeting in partnership with ACO and Child Poverty Action Group as the 1 April deadline looms when local authorities assume responsibility for the discretionary elements of the Social Fund (emergency grants and crisis loans). The combined intelligence in the room offered positive, constructive approaches but inevitably listed challenges to come.

Supplementary education: beyond the pupil premium
Funders gather to hear from a range of perspectives from across the education sector who demonstrated the challenges and successes of funding supplementary schools.

Engaging with London Communities: A discussion on corporate engagement
An event to discuss planning community engagement for London-based companies. A focus on supporting local communities and pressing needs, whilst meeting company objectives without wasting time and money.

Making sense of Innovation
A meeting exploring what innovation means to funders and whether in a climate of reduced reliance on public funds, funders are right to be pursuing it. Issues such as measurement and risk were addressed alongside contributions from NESTA, London Borough of Camden and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Members meeting: London's Housing Scene
The latest in a series of meetings to review and analyse the landscape in which London’s funders of the voluntary and community sector are operating, this meeting reviewed changes in housing policy and welfare benefits that will have a significant impact on London, much of it negative. Funders also looked at practical examples of positive investment in housing and homelessness. A full report will be published shortly.

Social Fund-delivering at London level
A packed roomful of people from 25 boroughs and 37 other organisations which support people in need, either directly in grants or through relevant services, put their heads together about this at a meeting called by Child Poverty Action Group, London Funders and the Association of Charitable Organisations. A full meeting report is available here. Please also see here for a short summary.

London Funders AGM and members meeting: Local authorities and public health- what's in store?
A brief business meeting followed by an opportunity to learn how responsibility for public health is transferring to local authorities. The session informed funders of the facts and developments in health delivery and health improvement, set out a clear picture of the new landscape of agencies and responsibilities in the transition period from now to April 2013 and beyond, and gave time for discussion of the implications for funders of voluntary and community services.
A full report of this meeting is available here.

Using property and asset development to strengthen voluntary organisations
Project group meeting to discuss the practicalities of asset development fo funders including looking at how local authorities can support the third sector through asset transfer, what resources are available and what good practice/lessons can be shared. Included case studies of asset transfer from the Black Cutural Archives and the Ripple Centre, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Full report here.

Meeting the needs of children living with domestic violence in London
Event in partnership with the City Bridge Trust, NSPCC and Refuge to explore the implications of a report by the partners which suggests that despite improvements in approaches to addressing domestic violence in recent years, the needs of children and young people living with domestic violence are overlooked.
Full report on the implications for funders, is available here.

Members meeting: Support services for the VCS. Are they more at risk than the front line?
Report following an essential meeting for funders concerned about the quality and nature of voluntary and community sector services finds the value of infrastructure is in the communities we serve.

Members meeting: A perfect storm: changes to the funding of the advice sector
The future of advice services in London proved a key issue for funders when London Funders convened a meeting to explore this part of the funding landscape. Members of London Funders (including officers from well over half of the boroughs) met at Mazars LLP to get up to date on current trends and to share deep knowledge and commitment to good specialist and generalist advice provision. Full report available here.

The context for refugees and migrants
Report of a meeting for funders on 5 December which updated funders on policy and practice in relation to migrants and refugees in London and the implications for funding of frontline services and support organisations.

Members meeting: Less than the cost of a first class stamp?
Hosted by Schroders in late 2011, this meeting attracted a great mix of London’s funders to discuss the impact of changing patterns of funding on services for children and young people in London. This first in a series of seminars aimed to help funders review and analyse the changing funding landscape for London’s VCS, addressed what is agreed as the area most vulnerable to cuts. One speaker quoted from a recent report that public sector cuts mean “spending on young people's services has fallen to just 28 pence per young person per day – less than the cost of a first class stamp”.

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