Welcome
Welcome to the October edition of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) newsletter, with the latest funding news, events and opportunities for the sector.
Mayor’s Community Grants Programme Update
The council’s vision is to support and invest in a thriving and diverse voluntary and community sector (VCS) to help it improve the lives of residents.
The Mayor's Community Grant Programme (MCGP) will provide £11.96 million over the lifetime of the programme with an annual allocation of £3.5 million to the voluntary and community sector between 1st November 2023 to 31st March 2027. This is an increase of £900,000 from the previous Local Community Fund (LCF), which provided £2.6 million per year.
The MCGP supports the delivery of council priorities as set out in the council’s strategic plan 2022-26: The programme consists of 5 themes:
- Tackling the cost-of-living
- Accelerating education
- Culture, jobs, business, and skills
- Investing in public services
- Empower communities and fight crime
Applications for MCGP closed on 5th June. Demand for grants were high, with 170 organisations, applying for 308 projects. The total funding requested was £11.3m, which is over 3 times the amount of funding we have available.
We have awarded funding to a wide range of different services and organisations ensuring all sections of the community benefit.
In total, the Council is funding 86 organisations, including consortiums, to deliver 110 projects. This is a significant increase from the 50 projects from 39 organisations which were funded through the LCF.
To view the Award Report, including the full list of the projects we have funded click here.
Support for unsuccessful organisations
Both successful and unsuccessful organisations will be notified following the call-in period.
Unsuccessful organisations can request feedback on their applications over the coming months.
We are also providing support for unsuccessful organisations through our partners, Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Services. Find out more here.
The Council provides information on external funding through this newsletter and our external funding webpage.
What other funding sources does the Council have available?
The Council is launching its Small Grants Programme in January 2024, which will provide £800,000 of grant funding to the VCS per year.
We have also refreshed our Emergency Grants Fund, which provides funding for VCS organisations who are struggling financially. For more information click here.
Funds available for 2023 (Tech Belt* only):
7 September 2023 - community fund details available
20 October 2023 - application deadline
Early December 2023 - announcement of fund recipients
Applications - link/downloads available below:
If you have any queries about the fund or would like to be added to the launch notification mailing list for either the Fitzrovia & West End Fund or Tech Belt Fund please email: community@derwentlondon.com
*The Tech Belt is defined here as the area extending from Kings Cross to Whitechapel, largely covering some EC1 and E1 postcodes.
City Bridge Foundation Small Grants
London’s biggest independent charity funder has revamped its small grants programme
City Bridge Foundation, previously City Bridge Trust, has reopened the programme and is now taking applications from constituted voluntary organisations as well as registered charities.
Support for projects and organisations that focus on greening and growing, working with older people, working with Deaf and Disabled people, working with the LGBTQIA+ community, and working with migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Organisations with incomes under £200,000 will be eligible.
For more information and to apply online, click here.
Social Values Benefits Scheme
Social value resources that support a thriving Voluntary and Community Sector
The council expects organisations it awards over £100,000 contracts, to provide resources that help VCS organisations improve the lives of residents. In the past, these have included things like computers, membership fees for VCS networks, training, and development.
We have a range of social value benefits that our VCS partners can apply for. For a full list of the resources and application link, please visit our webpage.
 Digital Inclusion grants
#FixTheDigitalDivide
National digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, has recently launched its £1.3m Fix The Digital Divide fund, providing two opportunities for organisations to apply for grants of up to £6,000.
The 'Digital Inclusion Impact Grant' and the 'Digital Inclusion Capability Grant' will allow members of the Good Things Foundation's’ digital inclusion network to access flexible grants that meet their needs and those of the communities that they support.
Find out more here.
Deadline for applications: Friday 20 October @ 12pm.
 Celebrating Black History Month
October 2023 sees another busy programme of events and activities for those of all ages and interests in celebration of Black arts, culture and heritage. Exhibitions, performances and workshops cover film, music, poetry and local archive collections plus intergenerational sessions to explore connections within communities.
Keep an eye on the Black History Month page on our website for full details.
 Ask the Housing Ombudsman
Join us on Monday 23 October at the Town Hall for an information session for Tower Hamlets Homes and Housing Association tenants and leaseholders.
Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman for England will be speaking at the event and will provide information on the role of the Housing Ombudsman service and the process you should follow to get complaints about your landlord dealt with effectively.
You will also have the chance to ask the Housing Ombudsman general questions about the service that they provide and how they can help you if you are unhappy about the way your social housing landlord has dealt with your complaint, or where your social housing landlord has not followed their complaints procedure.
Light refreshments will be provided.
You can attend for free in-person or online. You will only be admitted if you have registered.
 Get Online Week
#GetOnlineWeek (16th – 22nd October)
Get Online Week is the annual digital inclusion campaign run by charity Good Things Foundation.
With nearly 1 in 5 adults lacking the most basic digital skills needed for everyday life, the campaign sees hundreds of local events take place each year hosted by community organisations, from drop-in sessions to engagement out and about in the community, giving more people the chance to find the support they need to improve their digital skills and get motivated to learn more.
In the last 15 years, the campaign has helped hundreds of thousands of people to get online for the first time and improve their digital skills.
If you’re planning to hold an event for this year’s Get Online Week please register here and the campaign organisers will be able give you some handy tips, leaflets and posters to use in the community, and help to promote your event online.
Please also keep us in the loop about any events you’re planning so that we can help promote this as well: vcs@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Find out more about the campaign here
And don’t forget…
… if you’re a member of the Good Things Foundation’s Online Centre’s Network (free to join) you are also able to apply for free mobile data from their National Databank.
Useful links
For information on infrastructure support to VCS organisations in Tower Hamlets, please visit Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service.
For information on volunteering opportunities in Tower Hamlets, please visit Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets.
They are offering VCS organisations high-quality training, workshops, courses and events to help organisations grow stronger and more resilient.
Thank you for reading
We hope you found this bulletin useful. Contact us for any feedback or if you would like anything to be considered for inclusion in future newsletters.
Please note, the next issue of this bulletin will be published in early November.
Please contact us if you wish to unsubscribe from the Tower Hamlets VCS newsletter.
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