Charity restructures its grant-making to help charities survive

MANY charities are facing the very real possibility of having to pack up and close their doors because of a lack of funding following Covid-19 and the Cost of Living Crisis. John Lyon’s Charity (JLC) is determined to use its funds to provide longer and larger grants so charities can continue their vital work and have the most impact on children and young people in London.

John Lyon’s Charity has launched a new five-year strategy to make its reach more educational in focus, streamline programme areas and simplify its grant-making so that organisations can more easily apply for its funds.

Survival has been the most common concern flagged to John Lyon’s Charity since 2020, and the reality is, things aren’t getting easier. Despite Government commitment and fundraising initiatives, John Lyon’s Charity can see that there simply isn’t enough national support to protect vital services and the Charity has therefore changed its way of grant-making to help ensure the longevity of the CYP sector.

As one of London’s largest grant-giving Funders in the Children and Young People’s (CYP) sector, it has restructured its grant-making, which will further help charities survive the Cost of Living crisis and the continuing aftermath of the pandemic. By providing larger grants over a longer time period, organisations can have greater financial security and spend less time on funding applications when time can be much better spent on the vital work they do to support children and young people.

Roda Imam, Project Co-ordinator at Somali Bravanese Welfare Association said:

“The demand for our service has increased and most of the families we work with come from a low-income background. We are having to do much more than we can cope with in terms of the extra hours staff are working to keep up with the demand. Funding from John Lyon’s Charity has been a lifeline for Somali Bravanese Welfare Association and this new way of funding will really help in the long-term.”

In the past few years, John Lyon’s Charity has been quick to respond to a national crisis. Back in 2020, the Charity ringfenced £1million to support grassroots charities in London directly after lockdown. Digging deep into its endowment, JLC set aside a further £22million to be distributed over six years, specifically designed to support the survival of the CYP sector post Covid. As the UK tries to navigate its way through the Cost of Living crisis, John Lyon’s Charity has had to re-evaluate how it makes grants to ensure organisations can survive yet another curve ball.

Dr. Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity said:

“It has been a succession of one financial travesty after another for the sector– from austerity to Covid to Cost of Living – and the reality is, we cannot fund every charity. However, our new strategy will help us focus our funds where they can have the most impact. Our new funding approach will mean organisations can request larger grants for longer periods of time to help alleviate the financial pressures and worries of the current climate. We hope that this new focus will help the CYP sector rebuild and be strong and that charities survive this incredibly uncertain time.”

To find out more about John Lyon’s Charity and its funding opportunities, please visit www.jlc.london.