Final round of Good Growth Fund allocated £23.7 million to 42 projects
More than 2,000 jobs created or safeguarded and 5,000 businesses helped
Mayor makes more than £340,000 of crowdfunding pledges
Innovative projects which help Londoners shape the future of their local communities are set to benefit from a £24 million investment from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
From a community theatre and a fully-accessible community centre for Londoners with disabilities, to exciting plans to transform markets and high streets, 54 projects across the capital will benefit.
Through his Good Growth Fund, the Mayor has announced a final £23.7 million to support more than 40 forward-thinking regeneration projects across the capital.Launched in 2017 and delivered in partnership with the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), the Good Growth Fund seeks to make London fairer and more inclusive by strengthening civic networks at a local level, encouraging innovation and supporting great design. In total, the Fund has supported 138 projects, allocating more than £75 million.Meanwhile, he has made pledges worth £343,500 through the seventh round of his Crowdfund London programme – from a social enterprise cinema in Brent to a grassroots community space in Upton Park, the Mayor is supporting 14 community-driven ideas.
Since its launch, Crowdfund London has backed more than 130 local projects proposed and delivered by communities to improve their local areas. The Mayor has pledged more than £2.5 million alongside almost 20,000 members of the public.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s local communities are sources of tremendous innovation and creativity.
“Through my Good Growth Fund and Crowdfund London programme we’re supporting thousands of businesses and helping more Londoners make a difference to their local areas across the city.
“London’s growth places significant pressures on our high streets and open spaces – the funding I’m announcing today will help create healthier and more inclusive places to work, live and visit.”
Good Growth Fund
One of the successful projects in this third and final round is the Market Garden City in Waltham Forest and Haringey. The Mayor’s investment of £1.2 million will help create new facilities for community food education, distribution, skills training, volunteering opportunities and employment - all directly targeted at a diverse range of local people.
This funding round will create or safeguard more than 2,000 jobs, support almost 5,000 business, help 1,500 people progress into work, bring 150 empty units back into use in local high streets and create more than 12,000 volunteering opportunities.
Several projects will receive a share of £2.3 million to deliver improvements in air quality, through innovative projects to reduce the reliance on diesel generators for Londoners living on the canal network.
The Good Growth Fund also fosters collaboration between organisations of different sizes and sectors – more than half the funded projects in this round have at least four partners.
Crowdfund London
In the latest round, Mayoral pledges include £50,000 to The Lexi Hub Appeal in Brent – the UK’s first social enterprise cinema. If successful, its crowdfunding campaign will help it provide 2,000 hours of additional community activities, screenings and volunteering opportunities each year, as part of its wider work to tackle isolation and support the local community.
Previous projects include a new public space designed and built by young people in Hackney and a community centre and café in Haringey.
Under the crowdfunding model, once each campaign successfully reaches their fundraising target the Mayoral pledges will be released. The programme is delivered in partnership with civic crowdfunding platform Spacehive.
LEAP Board Member, Dr Celia Caulcott, said: “I am really impressed by the range of bids received across the Good Growth Fund and Crowdfund London. It is testament to the creativity across London’s diverse communities. The collaboration, innovation, and passion that underpins these projects is helping deliver integrated groups and neighbourhoods that enable everyone to belong, grow and thrive.
“As a Member of the LEAP Board since 2016, I have had the pleasure to witness first-hand the difference that both of these programmes make to the lives of Londoners and London’s local areas. The Board’s aim is to deliver ‘good growth’ that helps make London a strong, prosperous and inclusive city. These exemplar projects are good growth in action – transforming communities for the better.”
Nat Defriend, Deputy CEO and COO of Every One Every Day – which received £850,000 in round one of the Good Growth Fund – said: “The Mayor’s support means that hundreds of local residents and organisations in Barking and Dagenham will be able to develop their skills and creativity as part of a new movement of local makers.
“The Every One Every Day Warehouse opened its doors last March and has welcomed more than 1,000 local residents and encouraged more than 450 to join our collaborative business programmes.
“As the project develops the Warehouse will cement its place at the centre of a practical learning infrastructure across the borough and benefitting many local people. All this would have been impossible without funding from the Mayor.”
Huan Rimington, Founder and Director of Build Up Foundation – which received £30,000 in round five of Crowdfund London – said: “Last year a team of local young people designed and built a new public space in Hackney with the support of Crowdfund London. The project – Build Up Hackney – aimed to give young people a genuine say over how their local area is changing.
“Thanks to the Mayor we were able to raise the funds to get the project off the ground and create a precedent for young people having a voice in their local areas across London.”
Chris Gourlay, Founder & CEO of Spacehive, said: "This latest round of Crowdfund London campaigns are been more spirited, energetic and inclusive than ever. We""re almost seeing mini-movements forming around ideas that Londoners clearly really value and want to see happen in their local areas.
“The diversity of projects that the Mayor is backing is fantastic – from a plan to revive a loved heritage building as an arts and cultural centre in Streatham, to Leyton""s answer to Rio""s stunning Favela Painting project, Londoners‘ creativity is clearly in full flow.”ENDS