London community action groups receive £1.3 million National Lottery funding to reach grassroot groups on frontline of COVID response

The National Lottery Community Fund has today announced it is working alongside a number of expertly-placed funding programmes in London to ensure more than £1.3 million of National Lottery funding is delivered to communities most vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19.

So far, 10 Voluntary Services and Community and Voluntary Action groups – operating from Havering to Sutton - have received funding to distribute grants to grassroot community groups delivering frontline services in the face of the pandemic.

The community funding programmes will be distributing between £60,000 - £246,000 on behalf of The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

This forms part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s wider COVID-19 emergency response and means it will benefit from the local expertise of the funders, prioritising smaller voluntary sector groups that may require support with capacity and infrastructure to apply for funding.

The Bulldog Trust Ltd, which operates across Havering, received £60,000 to build on its track record of successfully engaging organisations at grassroots level, and will target support at small charities and social enterprises that are working with marginalised groups and prioritising equality, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Community Action Sutton received £100,000 of National Lottery funding to support local community projects, and will prioritise its support on young people, older people, families affected by domestic abuse, BAME community members and people with disabilities.

Haringey Giving also received £150,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver activities specifically aimed to support communities through the COVID-19 crisis to further realise equality, diversity and inclusion ambitions locally.

Julia Slay, Chair of Haringey Giving, said: “We are delighted that, thanks to National Lottery players, The National Lottery Community Fund is enabling us to provide more vital support to Haringey communities through the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. We look forward to distributing this welcome funding to grassroots community support organisations in our borough over the coming weeks.”

Helen Bushell, Head of Funding for London, the South East and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Throughout this unprecedented year, grassroots community groups have remained steadfast and determined to deliver vital support to those who need it most – and they will continue to be at the forefront of the response to COVID-19 in the months to come.

“We’re proud to have distributed £650 million of National Lottery funding across the UK to support communities’ responses, however we know we can’t always reach everyone who needs help. By working alongside these expertly placed funding programmes and relying on their local knowledge and network of contacts, we can ensure National Lottery funding reaches more charities and community projects that may otherwise have missed out on vital funding.”

As well as London, Voluntary Services and Community and Voluntary Action groups across the South East and East of England also received National Lottery grants to deliver funding to frontline community groups. In total, 16 of these funding programmes received a total share of £2.5 million.

National Lottery players raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Last week, The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, announced it has distributed more than £650 million to over 13,000 community organisations across the UK throughout 2020*.

Whether small grants to local projects or long-term investments into systemic change, National Lottery funding has made it possible for groups to find innovative ways of keeping their communities connected and to reach those who need the most help.

The National Lottery Community Fund has other funding streams available, with more information at https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/covid-19.