Grants database

Allsorts Youth Project supports children and young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender (LGBT), or unsure of their sexual orientation and/​or gender identity (LGBTU). They work in East and West Sussex schools, colleges and community organisations to ensure the provision of LGBT youth inclusive and safe services. This grant provides core support to aid the organisation in dealing with the challenges posed by Covid-19.

Vocal Communities is a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity led organisation based in East London. They advocate for marginalised communities on issues from knife crime to school exclusions and Covid-19. This grant supports a pilot of The Vocal Communities C.I.C Councillor Academy Programme, which aims to support people from marginalised backgrounds to engage in local politics. Taking a non-party political approach, the Academy will support people in some of London’s most diverse boroughs to participate in democratic or consultation processes with confidence.

The ​‘Other’ Box is a new creative project run by Sandy Abdelrahman. This grant supports the development of the project which explores the ​‘other’ marginalised ethnic identities in London, especially within equality and diversity information forms and national statistics. They aim to conduct research, compare lived experience and bring findings together to create a sense of community and belonging to those from ​‘Other’ communities, and create a space to share their voice.

Rekindle School is a new supplementary school based in South Manchester. It is primarily led by young people who helped design a school they know their peers need. Set to open its doors in September 2021, it will be for students from working class communities and students whom the regular system fails. This grant supports Rekindle School in developing a curriculum that speaks to a multicultural and modern country connected to the rest of the world, and that addresses the lack of cultural education or critical thinking in mainstream education.

SafeGuarden aims to minimise the data problems and trauma faced by vulnerable people when having to share their data with organisations. This grant supports the creation of an asset locked Data Trust, where a vulnerable person will only need to register their personal details once and have control and choice over which other organisations can access their data. SafeGuarden will pilot this system with veterans and charities who support veterans.

The Oxfordshire Discovery College (ODC) bring together professional experts in mental health and coping tools, with people who have lived experience of mental health issues to create a space for children and young people who might be struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. This grant supports ODC to evaluate a new approach to exploring mental health topics with young people, adapting methods used for international Recovery Colleges. ODC will offer workshops/​programmes that explore mental health topics while weaving in activities like art, sport, or gardening. Instead of being clinical or therapeutic, ODC will create informal spaces for young people to learn together.

Founded by Nur Khairiyah, Welcome To My Crying Party will be a monthly ​‘braver space’ for Asian diaspora communities, which includes East Asian, South East Asian, South Asian, Central Asian, and including those of mixed-Asian heritage. This grant supports development of the space that will be used for recovery, to inspire and uplift creatives’ hopes and spirits for 2021. Through creating a sense of shared experience, and providing a space to cry, My Crying Party will enable Asian diaspora communities to give each other mutual support and inspire each other’s artistic practice.

Kwame Boateng-Sekyere is a trainee barrister whose work connects lawyers with funders to address the appeals funding gap in the criminal justice system. This grant supports plans to collect and analyse data from the main criminal court centres around the UK to build an evidence base and carry out focus groups to find a potential model for funding criminal justice reform cases.

Genius Within is a social enterprise supporting neurominorities to maximise their potential and embrace their strengths. Their work seeks to unlock talents and acknowledge ad celebrate neurodiversity through coaching and support. This grant this supports Genius Within to explore how to create a mentoring programme for young people with autism, aged 18–25, to become mentors to other autistic young people.

Food Behind Bars is a UK-based charity dedicated to transforming the food served in British prisons. They work with prisons on the subject of food, to improve the lives of those eating it and support the people making it. This grant supports Food Behind Bars in developing HMP Food, a programme that works collaboratively across the kitchen, grounds and wings of a prison to improve the food served, and to enhance residents’ wellbeing and mental health.

Create Your Table is a new platform by Eni Timi Biu empowering Black food entrepreneurs via capital, business support and development opportunities. This grant supports the development of a platform to provide tools for Black food entrepreneurs to launch, scale and thrive. The project stems from evidence that despite Black people being one of the highest groups to embark on entrepreneurship, they experience hurdles when it comes to brand and business development owing to lack of investment and access to resources that are key in the journey to successful business growth.

The Disability Union is the first user-led organisation to connect the 14 million disabled people in the UK. Organising around three core values – community, opportunity, and unity – they are led by a core team with lived experience of disability and a shared vision to make the world an accessible place for everyone. This grant supports the organisation to set up their first local group as a pilot for embedding The Disability Union within communities, situated in Southampton and Winchester.