London Plus is supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP) to coordinate support for Afghan refugees in London. We’ve put together a list of London-based organisations to help with signposting and ensure offers of help can be quickly matched with local need.

It includes information on financial and mental health support, food banks & other services for Afghan refugees, mostly run by local charities and other community organisations. To find services and organisations in your London borough, please navigate the document using the headings.

Sector News

London Voter Registration Week 2021
London has one the lowest voter registration rates among the UK regions and nations. Dr Elisabeth Pop, Lead Officer on Democratic Participation at the Greater London Authority (GLA) calls on Londoners to get involved in London Voter Registration Week taking place 20-26 September 2021.

The Mayor of London’s Community Newsletter
Sign up for the Mayor of London’s Community Newsletter. Learn about how City Hall is working together with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to help make London a fairer and more inclusive city. Hear the news and views from the sector as well as funding updates and information about the Building Strong Communities mission work.

Events & Training

Cornerstone Conference
22nd September, 9.45am – 12.45pm
This conference will feature speakers from the GLA, CCG, mental health services professionals and community leaders involved in delivering health & wellbeing services. It will explore how charities & health providers can collaborate to better meet the health needs of local communities.

London Sport: Active London
21st – 22nd September
Active London is the largest annual conference dedicated to the future of physical activity and sport in London. The two-day digital event will explore a series of themes building on the remarkable work over the pandemic and how the sector can embrace change, reconnect and rebuild for the better.

Funding Talk: A Beginners Guide to Fundraising
21st September, 1.00-4.00pm
This free event by Small Charities Coalition is a special session for staff, trustees and volunteers new to fundraising.

Recovery & Renewal: Third Sector role in Post Pandemic Health & Social Care
22nd September, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Community Links Bromley’s free online conference will discuss how charities and health providers can collaborate to better meet the health needs of local communities. Attendees include the GLA , CCG, mental health services professionals and community leaders.

Local Insight data sessions
30th September – 13th December
Datawise London has a subscription to the Local Insight platform, with data on over 1,000 neighbourhood level indicators from over 50 different sources. Book a one to one with the Datawise London team to explore data in a specific area.

Launch of new geo-mapping tools for the sector 
12th October, 9.30 – 11.00am
Join Datawise London and the Data Collective for the launch of free online geo shape mapping tools and its forerunner Community Lens, designed by and for social impact organisations. Experts will be there to help answer questions on mapping tools.

Recovery and beyond: Lessons from the pandemic on charity operating models
13th October, 5.30pm
Charity Talks evening lecture series is returning this autumn with a free webinar by Centre for Charity Effectiveness consultant Steve Billot. He will look at the issues facing the charity sector as it confronts its most challenging time: the ‘recovery’ phase.

Charity Digital’s #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day
14th October
This year’s #BeMoreDigital Fundraising Day will focus on skill-building, with practical sessions to help charities overcome their fundraising challenges and equip them with the skills they need to fundraise digitally.

Social Enterprises Future Digital Festival 2021
8th November – 8th December
Attend live to connect with speakers and leaders, take part in discussions about the future of the social enterprise sector and learn practical tips to support your business. Early bird tickets are available.

Resources

How to structure your charity website
Charity software provider Access has created a new resource hub to guide charities through the steps of creating a successful website. Within the hub, there is ‘The Success Charity Website Playbook’ as well individual guides, articles, and webinars on key topics.

Team London website
We know how essential volunteers are in helping the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector support London’s communities. The Team London volunteering website is free to use and open to non-profit organisations across London. Register your organisation now and start finding great volunteers.

Charities.Connected: Free Data from Vodafone 
Vodafone has launched charities.connected, an initiative allowing UK charities to apply for free data. The aim is to help individuals and families supported by charities, as well as enable organisations to improve their own digital capacity.

Lloyds Bank Foundation cybersecurity films
Lloyds Bank Foundation has a four-part film series on the essentials of cybersecurity. The series encompasses the essentials of staying safe digitally, passwords, phishing and data. There’s also a downloadable guide with additional cybersecurity resources.

Tech for Better programme
Founders and Coders’ free Tech for Better programme for founders, social entrepreneurs and charity workers is open. Over 12 weeks, participants will design and build a Progressive Web Application to get a better understanding of meeting the needs of a user group.

Funding

KFC Funding for disadvantaged youths (UK)
The KFC Foundation’s grants programme is looking to support 11-25-year-olds in a position of social disadvantage. Eligible grassroots organisations help fulfil their potential, provide safe spaces, unlock talent, build life skills and improve their employment prospects.
Deadline: 26th September.

Funding for Community and Environmental Projects
The Veolia Environmental Trust is supporting a wide range of community and environmental projects in England. You must be a not-for-profit group with environmental & community projects located near a qualifying Veolia site in England. Between £10,000 and £75,000 is available to create or improve buildings or outside spaces for the community.
Deadline: 30th September.

Mental Health Sustainability Programme 
The Association of Mental Health Providers has announced the second round of a small grants fund as part of the Mental Health Sustainability Programme. This fund will be used to provide grants of up to £5,000 to support the sustainability of mental health voluntary, community and social enterprise provider organisations, with a turnover of £0-250k.

Trust for London – Tackling Poverty and Inequality
If you’re an organisation in London tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality and your work fits one of the seven funding programmes, apply for funding today.
Deadline: 5th October.

Aviva Community Fund (UK)
This fund exists to help build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK. Funding is available for fresh ideas looking to secure up to £50,000. All Crowdfunder pages go live on 10 August. Causes can share projects with their networks of supporters to raise public donations. Aviva employees will be able to view projects and between them will share out £250,000 of funding. 
Deadline: 5th October.

AB Charitable Trust
This fund supports charities defending human rights and promoting respect for vulnerable individuals. The Trust is particularly interested in charities working with those marginalised and excluded, with a focus on migrants and refugees criminal justice & penal reform human rights.
Deadline: 31st October.

Funding to help bring people together (UK)
The Asda Foundation’s phase 2 of Bringing Communities Back Together Fund aims to reunite communities, celebrate togetherness, and support groups. Grants between £250 and £1,000 are available to get activities back on track such as clubs & recreational activities or get-together events such as community celebrations; or a combination of the two. Applications forms are available from Asda stores.
Deadline: 1st November.

Funding for projects fighting climate change 
National Lottery funding will support the UN Climate Change Conference by helping UK communities take action on climate change. Funding of £1,000 to £10,000 is available. Projects should reflect what matters to your community and can be small in scale.
Deadline: 18th November 

Reports

Respond, recover, reset: the voluntary sector and COVID-19
NCVO, Nottingham Trent & others have produced an August snapshot [PDF] of the condition of the voluntary and community sector using a survey. In this wave, the general theme is digitalisation and how VCSE organisations have been making use of digital technology during the pandemic.

Reflecting on the Festival of Learning
This booklet breaks down the insightful conversations, presentations and questions that were covered over the two-week event. The wide diversity of topics discussed at the Festival included lessons from leaving leaders, facilitating collaboration through uncertain times, and how funders can prioritise equity in their grantmaking.

NCVO Research findings – Volunteering during Covid
This briefing [PDF] presents early findings from research capturing the experiences of those working with volunteers within organisations and communities in England during the pandemic. It provides the current challenges, opportunities and reflections to support volunteering towards recovery.