Ealing’s largest grant-giving funder in supporting children and young people has launched a new five-year strategy which it says will help charities keep on providing their services in the wake of the cost of living crisis and following the pandemic.
John Lyon’s Charity (JLC) supports a number of groups and organisations across the borough and its seven towns including Young Ealing Foundation , Acton Park Playcentre Leisure Events (A.P.P.L.E), Descendants, Ealing Primary Centre, Gifford Primary School, Znaniye Foundation.
The Charity says its new approach will allow it to improve how it distribute money as well as making it easier for organisations to apply for funding.
Among its changes will be providing larger grants over a longer time period. It says that those who get support can have financial security and spend more time on doing work to help children and young people without spending additional time on making funding applications.
Since 1991, the charity says it has given £186m to organisations supporting children and young people in nine boroughs across London – Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and the Cities of London and Westminster.
The Charity says in 2020, it ring fenced £1million to support grassroots charities in London directly after lockdown. It has further committed to helping children and younfg people by setting aside a further £22million to be distributed over six years.
Dr Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity said: “It has been a succession of one financial travesty after another for the sector– from austerity to Covid to Cost of Living – and the reality is, we cannot fund every charity. However, our new strategy will help us focus our funds where they can have the most impact.”
Ms Guyton added: “Our new funding approach will mean organisations can request larger grants for longer periods of time to help alleviate the financial pressures and worries of the current climate. We hope that this new focus will help the CYP sector rebuild and be strong, and that charities survive this incredibly uncertain time.”
