City Hall has today announced the beneficiaries of a £600,000 fund to support specialist civil society organisations in the delivery of programmes to promote equality across the capital.
The Civil Society Roots Fund is a funding partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, the City Corporation’s charitable funder the City Bridge Trust and the National Lottery Community Fund, providing grants of approximately £100,000 to five civil society groups.
In addition to the funds, grantees will benefit from a share of a further £100,000 worth of support to help them develop their strategies for the delivery of future programmes.
The Civil Society Roots fund is a key part of the Mayor of London’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Social Integration Strategies which aims to empower London’s communities and enable civil society to flourish.
The core fund offers two-year grants to London-based bodies focused on five sectors: Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) led organisations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) led organisations, women’s led organisations, deaf and disabled people’s organisations and organisations working with victims of crime and offender management in the Criminal Justice System (CJS).
Funding has been awarded to:
• Ubele – a social enterprise providing training and leadership development support to social action projects within BAME diaspora communities in the capital and beyond.
• Consortium – a specialist body promoting collaborative opportunities and providing strategic guidance and skills development to people working in LGBT+ organisations.
• Clinks – a charity that supports, promotes and represents the voluntary sector working with people in the criminal justice system and their families.
• Women’s Resource Centre – an umbrella organisation committed to building capacity in the women’s sector by sharing information and creating networks.
• Inclusion London – an organisation supporting Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations in London and campaign for equality for Deaf and Disabled people.
Debbie Weekes-Bernard, The Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement said: “As the pressure on communities and vital public services increases, investing in a strong, vibrant civil society has never been more important.
“That is why I am proud to support these fantastic organisations that are working hard to train and empower our diverse communities to make our capital a fairer, more equal place for us all.”
Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee said: “These organisations are the lifeblood of our society, working right across London’s diverse communities.
“Together we aim to build a strong, sustainable and cohesive capital city.
“We want to make London a city where everyone can thrive, and no-one experiences disadvantage or marginalisation.”
Elly De Decker, England Director at The National Lottery Community Fund said: “Supporting an active, vibrant and diverse civil society is one of our core ambitions so we’re delighted to be a partner on this fund.
“Thanks to National Lottery players we will be funding some great groups and projects across the capital that are uniquely placed to encourage greater equality and inclusion and to help their communities thrive.”
Yvonne Field – Founder and Managing Director of The Ubele Initiative said: “Ubele are excited to have been offered an opportunity to support BAME led organisations to create more sustainable community assets through next-generation leaders and redesigned community spaces.
“After 10 years of work and implementing on the recommendations of our national report ‘ ‘A Place to Call Home’ 2015, we are now able to utilise the Civil Society Roots Fund to help them create effective ways of strengthening their foundations and creating a wider impact across London.
“All too often BAME led organisations have found themselves excluded from decisions on local developments and this Fund will help us begin to redress this imbalance and help influence the sustainability of BAME communities in London for the next 50 years.”