Yesterday LandAid delivered the exciting news that £450,000 of funding had been awarded to the first four successful charities from our autumn grants round. The announcement comes after months of reading, re-reading, discussing, debating and eventually identifying four effective and diverse projects that help young people to overcome disadvantage.
One of the new partnerships is with Nottinghamshire YMCA, who we have funded to create emergency and move-on accommodation in the city centre. Further north, we are working with Renew Leeds to expand their alternative education programme in the local community.
London’s Fitzrovia, an area often renowned for its wealth, is seeing increasing numbers of vulnerable young people. By funding local organisation Fitzrovia Youth in Action to convert their basement into an inspiring learning space, LandAid hopes to stop this upward trend. St Werburgh’s Farm, in the heart of urban Bristol, is our fourth new grant recipient and has received over £100,000 to develop a classroom and catering training facilities.
According to a report released this week by the Fabian Society, over a million more children are will be in poverty by 2030, if considerable changes are not put in place. The numbers from the LandAid autumn grant round certainly reflect the pressing need for support across the country: 170 applications submitted, £20 million of funding requested and 84 appeals for free property advice.
A big thank you to each charity that took the time to apply for funding. We were impressed (and moved) by the incredible array of programmes that are tackling social and economic disadvantage in the UK. And from emergency hostels to safe community places to learning hubs, the range of projects we read about illustrated how important buildings and spaces are in the development of vulnerable young people.
Let’s hope we can continue to provide the bricks and mortar that give young people the place to find a positive future.