Published: Tuesday 28 September 2021
Today the Council launches the Voluntary Sector Support Fund (VSSF), giving over £2.8 million in funding to 35 local voluntary sector organisations.
The Voluntary Sector Support Fund allows for more organisations to apply for funding support from Kensington and Chelsea Council. Through the fund, organisations get access to financial backing under a 18-month commitment. Once the grant period reaches completion in March 2023, local organisations must reapply for funding to give other organisations a chance to receive financial support.
The successor to the Corporate Grants Scheme, the VSSF will continue to allow the Council to give back while remaining one of the largest unrestricted local authority funders to the voluntary sector in London.
Cllr Anne Cyron, Lead Member for Communities said:
“Over the course of the pandemic, the voluntary sector has continued to prove how important it is to the livelihoods of our communities. Although the sector is seeing a decline in funding, we at the Council felt it was critical to do as much as we could to help these valued organisations.
With this redesigned support fund, we are thrilled to be able to help local organisations continue to deliver much needed services in Kensington and Chelsea.”
The fund will provide support to 21 organisations from the Corporate Grants Scheme and 14 new organisations. Some of the organisations receiving funding deliver services such as counselling, food donations, childcare and more for the local community.
Paul Adlam, General Manager of The Chelsea Theatre said:
“With the help of this fund, we’ll receive 25 per cent of our core funding to continue to provide a range of services to improve the health and wellbeing of our community and work as an incubation hub to foster creativity.
The Chelsea Theatre is a unique resource as we’re one of two community centres in the UK that also has a theatre. We host a variety of creative classes, provide a community café, community spaces, and partner with other third sector organisations like AgeUK and Open Age to help residents access other local services. And with this financing, we’ll continue to be able to offer stellar spaces for people to enjoy.
It’s wonderful to be a recipient of the VSSF grant and we will continue to grow with our diverse community, providing a place of comfort and artistic expression for those who need it.”
The Council received an overwhelming response to their open call for funding through the VSSF with 74 organisations applying for support. To support organisations who were not successful in their application or who did not receive the amount requested, the Council will work with them to help them access what they need to provide services to the community.