Council announces funding for grants of up to £15,000 for local charities alongside community crowdfunding initiative

The partnership with local charity network Havering Compact and local seed funding organisation, The Fore is known as the “Havering Funding Programme” and offers unrestricted grants of up to £15,000 to help fantastic small charities plan for the longer term and gain a stronger footing in a post-coronavirus world. 

As part of its emergency Covid 19 response, the Council provided 17 charities and non-profit organisations with emergency grants totalling £82,415.

This has allowed vulnerable residents get the support and help they need during the coronavirus outbreak and was supported by a community crowdfunding programme, which raised £10,000 and helped the Council support two of the 17 charities with £5,000 emergency grants.

Organisations that have received funding through this initiative

• Bedrock Radio, a hospital patient and community-focused radio station; 
• Havering Asian Social Welfare Association (HASWA), an Asian community-led charity that provides a wide range of activities to all, regardless of age, gender, religion or background;
• Addup, a support and action group run by parents of children with ADHD; 
• Havering MIND; Citizens Advice Havering 
• Mardyke Youth and Community Association
• She-Unity Support, who work to reduce abuse to Black, Asian, and Minority and Ethnic (BAME) women in Harold Wood

Leader of the Council, Councillor Damian White said: 

"Havering Funding Programme is designed to level the playing field for great small charities or social enterprises that are changing the lives of the people of Havering and may have found it hard to access trust and foundation funding in the past.  

"The Council and its partners are committed to helping great local organisations by connecting them to our network of enthusiastic skilled volunteers through Havering Compact and by connected them to our fantastic local businesses via The Fore.”

Alongside this second round of funding for charities, the Council is also calling for people with great ideas for improving their local area to pitch for funding to help bring them to life.

The Havering Together Innovation Fund will launch tomorrow (23 July 2020) in partnership with Space Hive, which is a new crowdfunding platform that supports local projects.  

The Council is offering up to £5,000 worth of funding for projects which will help improve the community.

According to research from the London Funders in 2018, Havering is one of the "coldest spots" for charitable funding in London. Per person, Havering receives less than a third of the charitable funding that goes to Redbridge or Barking and Dagenham.

Councillor White added:

"We want to see the entrepreneurial spirit and sense of community which Havering is famous for help us tackle the challenges and make the most of the opportunities in our borough, together. I urge anyone with a creative project idea to apply for funding.”