Advertisement

£650,000 grants on offer to help heal scars of Grenfell

Daniel Hambury
Daniel Hambury

Charitable groups that seek to improve the lives of young people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire are invited to apply for grants from a pot of almost £650,000 — as the third round of the Evening Standard’s Grenfell Young People’s Fund opens today.

This is the final tranche of the £1.36 million GYP Fund and follows the allocation in 2018 and 2019 of more than £700,000 to 19 groups, marking the first two funding rounds.

The fund includes the unspent portion of the £7.4 million donated by readers to the hugely successful Evening Standard Grenfell Tower Fire Appeal amounting to £574,000, as well as £410,000 from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and £367,000 from Artists for Grenfell.

Grants of up to £45,000 paid out over three years will be adjudicated by a panel dominated by young North Kensington community members, who have determined the priorities of the fund — widened this year to include groups tackling food insecurity and improvements to the environment.

Panel member Leila Jarvis, 17, who lives near Grenfell Tower and attends Kensington Aldridge Academy Sixth Form where she is predicted to get top grades for her A-levels, said the experience of being on the panel had been transformative.

“When the fire happened, it was so horrible, so horrific and like many colleagues at KAA, I had friends who died in the tower. But to be on this panel has been healing in that it feels good to be part of a process making a positive difference on the ground.”

She added: “I have found the selection process fascinating and I feel like we young people have grown in confidence over the last couple of years, bringing our local knowledge to bear and making a meaningful contribution. It has also affected my life path and career choices.

“I aim to apply to Oxford and Bristol universities and, inspired by the work we have done on this fund, I want to pursue a career that creates meaningful change in people’s lives.”

The grants will be administered by The London Community Foundation, the charity that partners the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund, whose director of grants, Kelly Rust, said: “The Grenfell Young People’s Fund has given local people a valuable way to contribute to the lives of young people after the fire. It has been humbling to learn from, and work alongside, the panel. We look forward to seeing applications from organisations who demonstrate how young people are directly involved in the decision making and governance of their local charitable organisations.”

What's on offer...

Almost £650,000 is being made available for groups helping children and young people up to the age of 25 affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.

Who can apply?
Priority will be given to organisations based in North Kensington. To be eligible, groups will seek to improve young lives in at least one of three areas:

  • Health and well-being — such as through teaching nutrition, cooking, growing vegetables, food sustainability, as well as mental health support, trauma therapy, sport, music and dance.

  • Empowerment — such as through improving their environment, youth leadership, violence reduction and community cohesion.

  • Work ready — such as by offering work experience, training or qualifications.

How much are grants?
Up to £15,000 per year over three years amounting to £45,000 per group. Groups funded in the first and second grant rounds are not eligible, unless their funding was for less than three years.

When is the deadline?
Apply by October 30 to The London Community Foundation: https://londoncf.org.uk/grants/grenfell-ypf