Earls Court Community Fund offers £180k in funding
Howard Lake | 30 June 2021 | News
The Earls Court Community Foundation is to offer up to £180,000 in grants this year to support local communities in and around Earls Court.
The Fund has been set up by the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC), which is “driving the development of the Earls Court masterplan forward” on behalf of Earls Court Partnership Limited.
Eligible organisations are invited to apply for a grant of up to £15,000 per year.
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The Fund has three areas of focus for funding:
- Communities and people: Projects that build a strong sense of community and provide opportunities to learn new things, meet new people and feel connected with their neighbours.
- Health and wellbeing: Projects that help to support the mental and physical wellbeing of the local community, which in turn enable them to build resilience and to flourish.
- Young people and training: Projects that support young people, some of whom have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This can include activities that support young people’s integration through education, skills development and employability so that they are better placed to access new and existing opportunities.
To be eligible for the Fund, a group will need to be a formally constituted not-for-profit organisation either based in the Earls Court Opportunity Area, or directly benefit the lives of those who live, work or study there. Full details of the eligibility criteria and a map of the Opportunity Area are available from the Earls Court Community Fund.
Local involvement
From the outset the Fund is aiming to ensure that the local community can be part of the process of awarding funding. It is therefore encouraging local people to apply to join the selection panel which will review and decide on the applications. Applications to be a volunteer member of the grants panel close on 26 July 2021.
Rob Heasman, CEO of ECDC said:
“By launching the Earls Court Community Fund, we hope to play a small part in improving the quality of life of those living nearby, and helping organisations grow and thrive.
“We know that some people in the communities around Earls Court have faced tough times over the last few years and the impact of the pandemic has only made things worse. From our early discussions we also know there is some fantastic work already happening, delivering vital support and activities for local residents.”
This summer sees the land and derelict buildings that ECDC manages will be used for a number of temporary events and activities including Underbelly’s London Wonderground at the site of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre, and temporary space at the Warwick Road Apron which has been transformed into a botanical wonderland, known as the ‘Pleasure Garden’ by artists Baker Borkowski as part of the K + C Art Festival.
Applications to the Earls Court Community Fund are now open and will close on 2 August 2021.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.