Tuesday 25 April / 1:30 to 3.00pm / On-line

We can only create real change if we collaborate, both within the voluntary & community sector and with statutory partners. How we can work together to influence change, create more equitable partnerships and address structural inequality in Tower Hamlets?

We will hear from some of those working to influence change in Tower Hamlets and have an opportunity to think about how we can strengthen the influence of the voluntary and community sector on decision makers, statutory partners, funders and commissioners.

We will also hear from Tower Hamlets Council about the results of the community consultation and launch of the Mayor’s community grants fund, with a chance to ask questions.

The purpose of this survey is to find out about how LGBT+ people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets experience discrimination and view their LGBT+ rights. The Equality Act 2010 identified 9 protected characteristics that makes it unlawful to be discriminated against based on your sexual orientation or gender identity.
Give 2 mins of your day to answer anonymously! The survey is aimed at those who live, work, study or socialise in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Please only complete this if this applies to you.

The Tower Hamlets Women’s Network (THWN) have just released their latest report: Women Poverty and Equality in Tower Hamlets: Mind the Gap. The THWN aim to shed some lights on the realities of women living in Tower Hamlets and help to raise their voices and concerns in regard to tackling gendered poverty, in addition to understanding race as a large determining factor of this reality.

The Equalities Hub is key to the new direction for the Council’s equalities provision, providing a central strategic focus, responding to the community’s needs and issues. The Hub will be vital to bringing about a more coordinated approach to equalities in the borough. If you want to find out more on how to get involved or if you have information you would like to share with the networks please get in touch.

Ramadan is a chance to reflect on your daily routine and prioritize your health and the health of others. The NHS in North East London has shared tips to help everyone have a healthy and safe Ramadan, especially if you have diabetes, take prescribed medication, or need medical attention during this time.

Additionally, Ramadan can be a great opportunity to quit smoking, and Quit Right Tower Hamlets is launched the ‘Quit Tobacco for Ramadan’ campaign at East London Mosque. If you register to quit with them, you can get a free vape kit worth £50. You can find more details here. Ramadan Mubarak to everyone that is observing.

LBTH have organised digital women's safety walks at locations throughout the borough. These are safe and inclusive sessions where you can tell LBTH your thoughts and concerns on safety issues so they can make improvements to benefit everyone.

Real are pleased to invite your Communications department to join our latest project aimed at combating health inequalities in Tower Hamlets. As part of this project their Co-production groups will analyse different types of communications and produce recommendations that will help you reach Disabled people more effectively.

What's in it for you? Training on accessible comms, training on legal requirements
and reasonable adjustments, Best Practice Guide and it's free. For more information, please contact hello@real.org.uk or call 202 7001 2170

Good Moves is a social and holistic eight-week course designed to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Tower Hamlets with long-term health conditions.In a relaxed and friendly environment, you will develop knowledge and practical skills relating to healthy eating, portion size, and gentle exercise.

Sign up for a free vape kit. Open to all residents who live/work or study in Tower Hamlets. If you have tried all other methods of stopping smoking without success, claim your free one kit with free 6 weeks behavioural support to increase your chance of quitting cigarettes.

Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board are developing an updated Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), which describes health & wellbeing needs and the provision of pharmacy services in Tower Hamlets. Please share your thoughts on whether the report reflects local need in our short survey. The report executive summary and the full consultation draft report is available to view online alongside a short questionnaire at Tower Hamlets Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) consultation.

Aishah Help's Worktop to Desktop programme offers a holistic employment and enterprise programme focusing on supporting and empowering those from ethnic minority communities to build their skills and confidence to reach their potential. For those who want to return to work or start their own business, the Worktop to Desktop programme is designed to help them achieve this goal.

Wednesday 26 April 2023, 10.30am - 1pm, on Zoom

Knowing the difference that your volunteer programme makes to volunteers, service users and your organisation is crucial in today’s competitive environment. It can help to secure funding, recruit more volunteers and improve your services. Having strong data and examples will help your organisation to stand out from the crowd.

On this course, you’ll learn how to create an evaluation plan that will enable you to understand and demonstrate the difference your volunteer programme makes. We will look at what “making a difference” means (to whom and how), developing realistic and measurable outcomes for your volunteer programme, practical and user-friendly tools for gathering information, including digital tools and how to analyse and communicate the results of your impact assessment. This session is suitable for experienced Volunteer Managers as well as those who are new to managing volunteers.

Idea Stores are more than just a library or a place of learning. As well as the traditional library service, they offer a wide range of adult education classes. With over 900 courses to choose from, there is something for everyone! From photography, languages, art & design, dance, ESOL, maths to fashion and digital skills - it’s never to late to learn!

Hop on over for some egg-cellent Easter fun! LBTH have got a basket full of free activities lined for your little bunnies. From athletic activities at Mile End Stadium to adventure play sessions, there's something for everyone!

Family friendly activities during the school holidays for young people and parents in Aberfeldy. As part of LBTH's Holiday Activities and Food Programme, Trapped in Zone One will be hosting a 2-week programme from 3-14 April 2023 for young people aged 5-16 and parents from Tower Hamlets, providing creative and physical activity sessions during the Easter school holidays with FREE lunchtime meals for eligible participants.

Tuesday 25 April / Tuesday 23 May / Thursday 29 June / 9.30am to 12.30pm

Improving local health and care services by learning how to work together better.
As people of Tower Hamlets, you know what is needed to improve health and wellbeing in the borough. The Council, the NHS and Community organisations in Tower Hamlets can do better at listening and working with people to make sure health and care services better address people’s needs. You can help shape this so local services and opportunities are more in line with what people want.

Fridays from 12.00 to 1.00pm & NEW SESSION Tuesdays from 5.00 to 6.00pm (starting 4 April) 

Join the Bromley By Bow Centre (BBBC) for a chat & a cuppa, to meet new people and to find out what's happening locally. These sessions are open to the LGBTQIA+ community & allies. Please contact Ricky to sign up on 020 8709 9700 / ricky.sian@bbbc.org.uk

Registration open from 11 to 17 April

The programme is offering unrestricted grants of up to £30,000 in Summer 2023 to help small charities and social enterprises develop, grow or become more sustainable. Successful applicants will receive: 

• A grant of up to £30,000 of unrestricted funding spead over 1-3 years. 
• Access to free, highly skilled support provided by experienced professionals. 
• Access to a programme of skills training workshops, covering areas such as fundraising, communications, finance, strategy and more. 
• A fully funded place on an impact measurement course. 

Once you have registered and received confirmation, you will have 3 weeks to write your application before the application deadline on Tuesday 9 May @ 5pm.

Deadline: Wednesday 5 April 

On behalf of East London Foundation NHS Trust (ELFT), Compass Wellbeing CIC invites local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations to come forward, as part of ELFT’s continuing commitment to early intervention, early help and to bolster emotional health and wellbeing in the communities it serves with children and adolescent mental health services. Funding amount: £302,500 per annum / Funding duration: Initially 2 years with an option to extend by 1 year.

Deadline Wednesday 5 April @ noon

Grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 will be available to organisations seeking to deliver innovative, well designed projects that support Clarion residents and the wider community to address digital exclusion. The Fund is designed to support Clarion residents and the wider community to get online and stay online, and to use the internet as an everyday tool, safely and confidently.

Applications are open on a rolling basis; however to be considered for Round 12, applications must be submitted by 12 noon Wednesday 5 April.

Deadline Friday 14 April

The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which will help communities take over local assets, such as community centres, pubs and shops, that are at risk of closure.

Deadline Monday 17 April

Just Food and Climate Transition (Just FACT programme), in partnership with Wen with research by Platform London are excited to be launching this new scheme which will award £200,000 worth of grants to Tower Hamlets projects over the next 2 years! 

The scheme, launching today, 6 March is suitable for local organisations and groups addressing issues around food justice and climate change. Over 5 years, people in Tower Hamlets will be working together to design and create the building blocks for a local food system that is democratic, environmentally sustainable, and people-driven. 

There are two new grant funds, which are open for applications:

• Community Hub Fund (£1,000-£10,000) : For projects that will create space for conversation, learning and action on food and climate issues  
• Community Lab Fund (£10,000-£40,000) : For larger scale projects that create new community-led food systems and have the potential to reduce carbon emissions 

This project has been funded by the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund.

Deadline Tuesday 15 August

The Public Health Research (PHR) Programme wishes to commission research on interventions aimed at reducing loneliness. Although social isolation and loneliness often come together, they are conceptually and empirically distinct from each other. This call is primarily interested in intervention aimed at reducing loneliness. The PHR programme is predominantly interested in interventions that are likely to have impact on populations at scale, addressing health inequalities and the underlying wider determinants of health

Deadline Tuesday 31 October 2023

Magic Little Grants is open for applications for £500 grants. It has simple 20-minute application process and an outcome within six weeks. Organisations must be in their first year of operation or have an annual income under £250k. Funding can be used to launch new projects, support existing ones, or cover core costs.

The new proposed Mayor's Community Grant Programme funding aims deliver services between October 2023 to March 2027 and will include the following five themes: 

• Tackle the Cost-of Living crisis- Focusing on improving financial and economic wellbeing of residents
• Accelerate Education- Focusing on improving educational attainment and development of children and young people
• Culture, business, jobs and skills- Focusing on increasing employment and skills opportunities for socially excluded residents
• Invest in public services- Focusing on improving wellbeing of residents and reduce isolation and inactivity amongst older people
• Empower Communities and fight crime- Focusing on addressing inequalities experienced by people reflecting different equality groups and address community safety issues impacting residents

Charities and not-for-profit organisations working with children and young people can apply for Project Costs grants for up to £15k from BBC Children in Need. No deadline.

The National Databank provides free mobile data, texts and calls to people in need via Good Things Foundation’s network of local community partners. Think of it like a ‘food bank’ but for internet connectivity data. Community organisations can apply to access the databank, enabling them to provide data to people in their communities who need it.

Do you run a community group or any small organisation that supports One Housing or Riverside residents? One Housing have made £250,000 available in 2022/23 through their new Community Fund to help fund projects that promote opportunities and wellbeing and tackle poverty in our communities. If you’ve got an idea that could make a difference, they want to hear from you.

The 30th year of the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs (DBACE) gets under way with applications open from Tuesday 31 January. This could be your chance to secure: Up to £20,000 investment to start or grow your enterprise;
Membership to MeWe360's Incubator programme, including 12-months of business support with MeWe360 and Deutsche Bank's high calibre industry & business mentors. DBACE offers a range of fantastic resources to support you with your application.

This funding aims to help communities across the UK to address climate change.

National Lottery Community Fund are looking for projects that focus on the link between nature and climate. They want to fund projects that use nature to encourage more community-led climate action. The NLCF expect these projects to bring other important social and economic benefits. Like the creation of strong, resilient and healthy communities or the development of ‘green’ skills and jobs.

Grants of between £300,000 and £500,000 are available, with grants of £50,000 to £150,000 over 12 to 18 months also available to constituted groups or clubs, voluntary or community organisations, registered charities, CIOs, SCIOs, CICs and more. The deadline for applications is ongoing.

Grants of between £300 and £10,000 are available for charities, voluntary groups, schools, and local authorities in England to carry out projects that will improve their local community. The aim of the grants programme is to support communities to thrive by funding projects that build strong relationships in and across communities. The deadline for applications is ongoing.

Do you require support with putting together or reviewing funding applications? The East London Business Alliance (ELBA) is a charity brokering opportunities to connect the corporate and community sectors. They are currently offering volunteer support to organisations who need help with writing and reviewing grant funding applications.

Employee volunteers from across ELBA's member companies have offered their time to assist charities to complete applications to the many funds that have emerged as a response to the current crisis. They are able to assist you with writing the application and/or reviewing a completed application. In some cases, they may be able to write a grant funding application on your behalf.

Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions, please contact Orlaith: orlaith.mcguinness@elba-1.org.uk