Grants for London’s small charities

Victoria Borwick, Deputy Mayor of London with Robin Foale, Divisional Managing Director for London & South East, Retail Distribution, Santander.

A new initiative has been launched to fund some of the capital’s charities. The Mayor’s Fund for London and the Santander Foundation have together set up “Community Plus London”.

They are delighted to announce that they have £100,000 to give out to charities in London. With 5,000 registered charities operating in the capital, that sum will be spread pretty thin: just £200 per charity, if all apply and are successful. To help whittle down the applicants, the two funding bodies have announced that they will prioritise charities supporting “health, skills and employment outcomes for young people”.

Santander is one of the companies that has benefited from the Government’s tax breaks. Its Chief Executive Ana Botín, who is also a Trustee of the Mayor’s Fund for London, said:  “The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. We are delighted to be working with the Mayor’s Fund for London to increase our support for local community projects that make a real difference to the lives of people in the capital.” If the Government had not decreased the taxes businesses pay, London’s population would not be so dependent on charities to try to keep “health, skills and employment outcomes” going.

Matthew Patten, Chief Executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, said: “Some of the most effective charitable work in London takes place unseen within a very local context.  We receive many requests for support and this wonderful new partnership with Santander will allow us to encourage Londoners to take the lead in their own communities.” Londoners have long taken the lead in their own communities by electing representatives to run their local Councils – but since the Coalition slashed funding to those bodies, Londoners have had to rely on a haphazard network of charities to try to plug the gaps.

Still, at least there is one employment outcome from this new scheme, in that it has at least provided employment to the said Matthew Patten, the Chief Executive. Let’s make sure he has lots of work to do. Application forms are available in Santander’s London branches or can be submitted online at: www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk/community-plus-london. The deadline for applications is Thursday 12th September 2013. Charities can apply for a grant themselves or can be nominated by members of the public.

Let’s leave the last word to Boris the Buffoon. “London is the powerhouse of the UK economy and offers amazing opportunities. Supporting local communities is essential to the health and wellbeing of our great City, unlocking opportunities for Londoners to reach their full potential,” he said. What a shame we have to rely on charities to make good that support in a piecemeal fashion, then.