Civil Society Roots
About the Civil Society Roots programme
How do individuals and groups, working to tackle inequality, best work together?
How can community organisations who are working on the frontline best support their development and capacity needs?
How can activity to build strong communities in a local area be greater than the sum of its parts?
What is the best way to ensure work to tackle inequality also builds solidarity across different groups?
Civil Society Roots 3 was launched in 2022 to strengthen civic infrastructure which focuses on relationship building, networking and the development of collective voice and advocacy for the organisations it supports.
The programme recognises the role of equity-led infrastructure organisations and activity in helping achieve our ambitions of a thriving civil society. Especially activity that helps:
- develop the work and capacity of other specialist, equity-led organisations and groups
- advocate on behalf of the sector and the communities they serve
- facilitate networks to enable collaboration, learning and strategic coordination
- connect local organisations to funders and corporate giving.
Civil Society Roots 3 - Round Two
Following the successful launch of Round One of the Civil Society Roots 3 funding programme, The Mayor of London, in partnership with City Bridge Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) invited equity-led organisations to invest in their roots and foundations by applying for Round Two of the Civil Society Roots 3 programme.
Round Two of the programme is funding ideas of equity led groups which develop new sectoral or cross sectoral partnerships, invest in capacity building, research or training or enable space and time to think about what our communities need most.
The funding is specifically aimed at supporting organisations to be in a stronger place to respond to and serve the increasing and ever-changing needs of our communities and is not for delivery of front-line activity.
Recipients
Round Two grantees
21 organisations were awarded grants in round two of the Civil Society Roots 3 programme (2023-24).
Successful organisations in this round include Hillingdon Women's centre, an initiative which helps empower women-led community groups in the borough; Suvai Deaf East Community in Redbridge, who advocate on behalf of d/Deaf and disabled Londoners; and the Sound Minds mental health project in Wandsworth which intends to use funding to establish a network and forum that connects service users, their families, and related organisations. The new cohort also includes 7 of 2022/23 development grants recipients.
Explore the recipients and their projects below:
OAKonsult Disabilities Outreach Ltd
Grant amount: £30,687
OAKonsult introduces Parent Carers to the possibility of living a purposeful and fulfilled life despite the challenges of the caring role. We also raise awareness and promote inclusion in diverse settings. They will use the grant to work in collaboration with other organisations to address the challenges faced by parent carers of children with special needs or disabilities in the BAME community within Bromley.
Enfield Somali Community Association
Grant amount: £23,500
ESCA works with and for the diaspora communities of Enfield to support them to access appropriate services and support that help them address social, housing, economic and health inequalities and improve their wellbeing.
The project seeks to address the amplified challenges faced by the local Somali community due to the cost of living crisis, which includes increased health inequalities, unemployment, debt, evictions, and emotional distress.
Enfield Law Centre*
Grant amount: £29,999
Enfield Law Centre is part of Haringey Law Centre and provides independent legal advice in areas such as housing, debt, welfare, immigration and employment through solicitors, caseworkers and volunteers.
ELC will work with referring grassroots partners to improve their clients’ chances of success within the legal system. Enfield based equity-led groups will benefit from training, networking, and capacity building.
Every Person Is Capable
Grant amount: £29,760
Every Person Is Capable (EPIC) aims to empower and engage people to achieve their true potential through urban arts, culture and education.
They are working collaboratively with joint partners to co-develop & co-design a Community Hub Approach to improve the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of vulnerable Young People (YPs) in Harrow College. Through this initiative they will emphasise student representation and support, focusing particularly on vulnerable young people.
HAVERING VOLUNTEER CENTRE
Grant amount: £32,400
Havering Volunteer Centre will use the grant to bring together marginalized equity-led organizations, and create a resilient sector where marginalized leaders feel valued, and heard, and actively participate in effecting positive community outcomes.
Rainham Foodbank*
Grant amount: £27,056
Rainham Foodbank is a foodbank and community hub which provides a range of services including the provision of food, advice, advocacy, employment and development skills training, counselling, and debt support to meet the needs of the local community.
They will use the CSR grant to develop their community hub offer. More services and programmes will be available for the community, with a focus on increasing accessibility. Staff will receive further training to improve organisational resilience and capacity-building.
Hillingdon Women's Centre
Grant amount: £30,512
Hillingdon Women's Centre is a proudly feminist, women-only safe space, inclusive of all women. We offer practical support and services tailored to each client's specific needs through a holistic, trauma-informed approach with the aim of helping women overcome the barriers in their lives in order to thrive.
Hillingdon Women’s Centre will use the grant to establish safe, women-only spaces to host community group meetings and collaborations, with a view to strengthening and growing a network of women-led groups.
Home-Start Hillingdon
Grant amount: £30,111
Home Start Hillingdon (HSH) provide life-changing volunteer peer-support to families with preschool children. Through weekly home-visits, HSH help families find their way through challenges including: post-natal depression, isolation, multiple birth, disability and managing difficult personal circumstances. They will use the grant to research barriers to ethnic minority group (EMG) mothers in volunteer roles across Hillingdon and identify strategies to address underrepresentation in HSH compared with local statistics.
Disability advice and support Hillingdon*
Grant amount: £32,309
DASH is a user led charity that challenges people’s perceptions and encourages disabled people of all ages to reach their full potential. They provide advice, support and activities that allow disabled people to take control of their lives and become more independent, confident and participate more fully in society. They offer a range of support services including advocacy and advice, housing and young people’s services.
DASH will use the CSR grant to develop and facilitate a formal alliance of DPO’s in Hillingdon to share knowledge, resources and to work together on joint initiatives. The funding will enable them to appoint a Business Development Officer to support this work.
Fairer Housing
Grant amount: £29,000
Fairer Housing brings together those most disadvantaged by the housing crisis, to understand the reasons for the crisis and campaign for the systemic changes needed so that everyone can have a decent home. They will use the grant to amplify the voices of those affected by the housing crisis and advocate for better living conditions.
Speak Out in Hounslow
Grant amount: £32,496
Speak Out in Hounslow is an equity-led charity that encourages adults with learning disabilities and/or autism to speak out and be heard. Our organisation has been operating for over 25 years, and delivers activities and projects that improve the health and wellbeing of our community whilst promoting independence and providing a voice. They will use the CSR grant to foster an equity-led voice for individuals with learning disabilities and/ or autism from diverse backgrounds, ensuring their concerns are voiced and addressed. The project will involve a 'hub and spoke' model where Speak Out acts as the central hub and connects with six diverse spokes.
SHEWISE*
Grant amount: £30,780
SHEWISE is a specialist in providing bilingual support to South Asian and Middle Eastern women and girls who are survivors of domestic abuse. We deliver holistic model of empowered living support in four key themes, Domestic abuse, wellbeing, skills development and income generation.
The funding will be used to develop, expand efforts, capacity and capability to address inequalities and to improve services for service users.
NUTU Academy CIC
Grant amount: £31,500
NUTU Academy CIC is a social enterprise working with communities and institutions through tailored research driven activities that address issues of empowerment, poverty, skills acquisition, training and social inclusion. NUTU Academy will use the CSR grant to co-create a digital platform targeting BAME ex-offenders in Newham.
African Health Policy Network
Grant Amount: £30,595
African Health policy Network is a small charity with a big heart. We started our health equalities work during the HIV epidemic and its impact on African descent peoples over twenty years ago. Today with our project, policy and campaigning work we address health inequalities and wellbeing issues across the spectrum as they impact our communities
African Health Policy Network (AHPN) has identified severe health inequities amongst Newham BAME communities in areas such as life expectancy, mental health, and covid outcomes, among others, and will be using the grant to better strengthen and position themselves in order to advocate for grass roots organisations that work in these areas and support them to achieve impactful outcomes.
One Place East (OPE)
Grant amount: £32,385
One Place East exists to enable disabled people and those with health conditions in across East London to have choices and improved lives. They will use the grant to strengthening the collaboration between different DDPOs, creating a comprehensive database of sports and physical activity needs for the Deaf and Disabled community, and advocating for improved sports provisions.
Suvai Deaf East Community
Grant amount: £29,546
Suvai Deaf East Community are a community café and social hub run by Deaf People for Deaf people. They aim to empower Deaf People by providing information, clubs, and services In British Sign Language (BSL). They work to: Reduce isolation and the impact of poverty on Deaf people. They will use the grant to employ a coordinator who will be able to identify gaps in their service to ensure that all groups within the deaf community are represented and supported.
Somali Welfare Trust, Redbridge
Grant amount: £32,500
The Somali Welfare Trust is a registered charity set up in 2003 by the Somali Community in Redbridge to provide essential services and become a strong voice for the community. They will use the grant to raise awareness around issues concerning employment exploitations in the Care/cleaning sector, especially amongst BAME/Muslim women.
People Arise Now*
Grant amount: £32,485
Migrant Advocacy Service*
Grant amount: £27,530
MAS is a community advocacy and outreach organisation giving advice and guidance to vulnerable migrants in or around Kingston and South West London. Their clients come from all over the world, with many from the Middle East and North Africa region and more recently from Hong Kong and the Ukraine. They deliver three resettlement integration projects, run advice sessions, ESOL classes, training and workshops and provide community development support and culturally sensitive bilingual counselling services.
Funding through the Civil Society Roots 3 Programme will support the Migrant Advocacy Service to improve access to information, advice and guidance available to vulnerable migrants living, working or studying in the London Borough of Sutton; improve pathways into services provided locally and highlight gaps in provision.
Sound Minds
Grant amount: £29,031
Sound Minds is a user-led charity channelling the power of creativity and peer support to improve the lives of people living with long-term mental ill health living in Wandsworth. They will use the grant to focus on the mental health needs of BAME service users and their families in Wandsworth - to understand the challenges this community encounters in relation to wellbeing and recovery and to offer appropriate support and solutions.
Wandsworth Older People's Forum
Grant amount: £23,116
Round One grantees
31 organisation were awarded grants in round one of the Civil Society Roots 3 programme (2022-23).
Successful projects ranged from organisations looking to amplify the voices and needs of Londoners impacted by structural inequalities, working to support Londoners through the cost-of-living crisis to those scaling up successful place-based work in the City.
Find out more about the selected grantees below.
OAKonsult Disabilities Outreach Ltd
Grant amount: £4,988 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £5,988
OAKonsult works with parents and carers of children with special needs and disabilities in Bromley. The funding will go towards the development of Project Me, a holistic program including workshops, training, practical sessions, focus groups, and therapeutic content for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic parents and carers in Bromley.
London Gypsies and Travellers
Grant amount: £50,000 Total: £50,000
London Gypsies and Travellers is an organisation which challenges social exclusion and discrimination, working for change in partnership with Gypsies and Travellers. The funding will allow them to create a Bromley based network for Gypsy and Traveller residents supported by a community development worker and a community engagement worker through a range of activities.
Bromley Experts by Experience
Grant amount: £50,000 Additional access grants: £3,996 Total: £53,996
Bromley Experts by Experience is a user-led Charity for Deaf and Disabled People and Carers in Bromley. The funding will allow them to engage directly with key stakeholders, such as local Councillors and impairment-specific groups, to enable disabled-led action for change in Bromley and to bring together smaller, impairment-specific groups that operate in silos and struggle to get their voices heard.
Better Living Partners CIC
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Better Living Partners deliver programmes of support to those living with long term health conditions in Bromley. The funding will allow for evidence gathering including routine data from Public Health Bromley and dedicated time and support for research activity for up to 6 months.
Middle Eastern Women and Society Organisation
Grant amount: £4,680 Total: £4,680
Middle Eastern Women and Society works with women to protect them from violence both at home and in the wider community, help them rebuild their lives through tailored advice, guidance and support, and campaign for their equality and human rights to be respected. The grant would help them create links with local support services and organise discussions with service providers and LGBTQ+ women from Enfield.
Grassroots
Grant amount: £3,950 Total: £3,950
Grassroots (Hosted by Edmonton Methodist Church) is a network of 8 organisations that are committed to ending inequalities in food security in Enfield. The funding will allow them to develop their skills through professional Theory of Change training as well as enable members to attend through the provision of childcare support and travel expenses.
Enfield Racial Equality Council
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Enfield Racial Equality Council’s mission is to actively promote and seek to implement a racially just, fair and equitable society which will enhance the quality of life for all who live, work and learn in the London Borough of Enfield. The funding will allow them to reinstate their Strategic Race and Equalities Forum (SREF), which enables in-depth focus on equalities issues to be put forward for discussion and action.
Effective Transition CIC
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Effective Transition, Success Club and Independent Parent Hub (hosted by Edmonton Community Partnership) support young people by helping them to overcome both the internal and external barriers that can prevent them from fulfilling their potential. They do this through football and other sport activities, mentoring and other support services. The funding will go towards the creation of a focus group for a talk shop which will include strategic partners and a few individuals from the wider community to discuss their lived experiences and the needs in the wider community.
Enfield Women’s Centre
Grant amount: £4,225 Additional access grants: £600 Total: £4,825
Enfield Women’s Centre works with women in Enfield. The funding will allow them to research how a resourced network of mutual interest can strengthen the capacity of women’s groups in the borough and help carry their voices to the decision makers thus supporting disadvantaged women and girls.
Harrow Womens' Centre
Grant amount: £5,000 Total: £5,000
Harrow Women’s Centre works with and supports women in Harrow. The funding will go towards developing
networks of local organisations and building on the evidence from previous focus groups by running a new series of focus groups, aimed at identifying issues and solutions experienced by women in Harrow.
Every Person Is Capable
Grant amount: £3,435 Total: £3,435
EPIC (Every Person is Capable) is a social enterprise which aims to empower, enlighten and educate people to achieve their true potential through arts and culture by creating mindful spaces for self-expansion. The funding will allow them to develop their capacity through training as well as establish and develop partnerships with other mental health support organisations in Harrow.
Family Information Group
Grant amount: £17,740 Total: £17,740
The Family Information Group offer advice and information to parents as well as providing childcare for children with disabilities and children in need. The funding will go towards establishing a local network, bringing together parents and staff from key statutory services and other stakeholders.
You and Me Counselling
Grant amount: £49,870 Additional access grants: £1,500 Total: £51,370
You and Me Counselling are a charity that works with children, young people, adults and their families who are facing emotional
and psychological distress. They offer group and individual counselling both in school and private settings. The funding would support relationship and capacity building across their services.
Hillingdon Women's Centre
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £200 Total: £5,200
Hillingdon Women’s Centre supports women in Hillingdon. The funding would allow staff to develop The Women’s Hub project, which aims to create a women-only safe space where women can network, share knowledge and promote sisterhood.
Fairer Housing (hosted by Advice 4 Renters)
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Fairer Housing (FH) wants to bring together individuals living in unsatisfactory housing and grassroots community groups in Hounslow to raise awareness of the elements that underpin the housing crisis and work in partnership to address these. The grant would be used to raise collective voice and advocacy.
Protégé DNA Ltd
Grant amount: £49,500 Total: £49,500
Protégé supports disadvantaged young people who are struggling with school, with life and with learning, they take referrals from their local authority and local schools to work with and nurture the potential of local young people in Hounslow. Funding would support with training and capacity building of services.
Speak Out in Hounslow
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Speak Out in Hounslow works with people with learning disabilities & autism in the London Borough of Hounslow. The funding aims would be to consult with their members and their parents /carers in order to establish what areas of advocacy are a priority for them, so that the knowledge required to ensure positive outcomes is developed.
Deaf Roots
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Deaf Roots works to address Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing people’s long-term needs through access to work and other support services. The funding will go towards adapting an existing model used well by communities elsewhere and testing the model with the d/Deaf community in and around Newham.
Money A+E UK CIC
Grant amount: £49,999 Total: £49,999
Money A&E work with community groups in Newham, their mission is to empower individuals by providing accessible, independent, and effective money advice and education. Funding would be used to improve collaboration and increase organisational capacity. Newham £49,999
Calm Minds-UK
Grant amount: £3,072 Total: £3,072
Calm Minds provide support, advocacy and training programmes for migrants and refugees living in the UK. This grant would work towards building and improving volunteer recruitment and capacity.
NUTU Academy CIC
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £750 Total: £5,750
NUTU Academy CIC is a social enterprise working with communities and institutions, particularly BAME ones. Through research, they deliver activities to address issues of empowerment, poverty, skills acquisition, training and social inclusion. Development funding will enable a professional researcher and community specialists to engage formally with ex/offenders aged 16-25, parents/guardians, stakeholders and community groups to explore systemic issues, structural inequalities in the criminal justice sector, how they impact families and individuals and how they may be addressed.
Act Up! Newham CIC
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £630 Total: £5,630
Act Up! Newham is a disabled-led organisation seeking to challenge structural inequalities. The funding will help pilot a collaborative partnership between Act Up! Newham and Boom-Wow Theatre to test and develop an inclusive methodology to provide administrative support to companies led by people with learning disabilities and/or neuro-diversities.
Women's Health and Family Services
Grant amount: £50,000 Total: £50,000
Women’s Health & Family Services works for equal access to healthcare for disadvantaged women and their families, through awareness-raising, advocacy and the provision of relevant health services, they challenge discrimination and campaign for people’s rights and choices to improve the health and wellbeing of women. Their flagship programme is “Maternity Mates” which supports pregnant women. The funding would support relationship building through extended partnerships.
Adanna Women’s Support Group
Grant amount: £4,620 Total: £4,620
Adanna Women’s Support Group supports and empowers women and girls from BAME communities who have experienced domestic abuse. The funding will go towards training staff to become DV advocates and offer culturally sensitive advice and support, as well as conducting focus groups with women and other key stakeholders in the community.
Empowering Deaf Society
Grant amount: £49,874 Additional access grants: £4,000 Total: £53,874
Empowering Deaf Society provides services that are designed to meet the needs of the deaf community that reside in London. The funding will allow them to address capacity issues due to communication difficulties. It will fund British Sign Language training for staff in key stakeholder organisations as well as volunteers and also develop Deaf empowerment networks in the borough.
People Arise Now
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
People Arise Now provides support for struggling families, and those who have been, or are at risk of being, impacted by crime. The funding will allow them to replicate an existing successful network in Sutton, bringing together residents and statutory services.
Sutton Women's Centre
Grant amount: £48,840 Total: £48,840
An organisation in Sutton supporting victims of domestic abuse, their mission: To provide a safe, women only space where women can access specialist support, advice, information and education to help them achieve their potential; develop their skills; and live their lives free from domestic abuse. The funding would allow them to recruit and train volunteers as well as create a network of residents to have a good understanding of domestic violence issues.
A Place At My Table
Grant amount: £47,847 Additional access grants: £3,250 Total: £51,097
Sound Minds
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Sound Minds is a mental health charity transforming lives through music, film and art. This grant would go towards building on an existing close community of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic service users and linking them with mental health networks (including statutory services) in the borough.
Roots to Change CIC
Grant amount: £5,000 Total: £5,000
Roots to Change is a new Wandsworth-based community interest company which aims to look at the root causes of violence against women and girls in Wandsworth. The funding will help develop a comprehensive analysis of some of the root and underlying causes and drivers of violence, exploitation and abuse directed at women and girls in the borough.
Neko Trust
Grant amount: £5,000 Additional access grants: £1,000 Total: £6,000
Neko aims to address the widespread gender, diversity and class imbalances in the creative industries, supporting people to progress no matter who they are or where they come from. The funding will help them build partnerships that develop their understanding of key challenges, focusing on Wandsworth community organisations and agencies who support women with lived experience of the criminal justice system, survivors of domestic abuse, caregivers, women with mental ill health and refugees.
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