Published: Tuesday 5 December 2023
Organisations supporting Kensington and Chelsea’s most vulnerable residents are set to receive a £1.3m boost thanks to the latest round of the borough’s Voluntary Sector Support Fund (VSSF), pending approval from the Council Leadership Team on Wednesday 6 December.
The Fund, which is handing out £1.3m per year over the next three years, will be shared between a range of organisations providing services including enhancing opportunities for disabled residents, supporting older residents, improving residents’ health and wellbeing, supporting disadvantaged young people, employment skills and training, enhancing volunteering opportunities and general community centre activities to bring communities together.
Under this new round of funding, the grant is supporting a wider range of organisations than previously and is more accessible than before with new organisations receiving awards alongside previously funded groups that were successful this year.
It’s part of the £22.4m that Kensington and Chelsea Council spends with the voluntary sector each year through contracts, grants and other support, to deliver services to residents, helping to create a fairer borough.
Councillor Sarah Addenbrooke, Lead Member for Communities and Community Safety, said:
“We are thrilled to be able to support the voluntary sector in Kensington and Chelsea.
"The work these organisations carry out in the borough really improves the lives of our residents, and we are proud to be able to ensure they have the resources they need.”
Ahmed Bhairien, Office Manager at Baraka Community Association, said:
“This is the second time we have been funded through the VSSF. The fund has enabled Baraka Community Association to increase the service we deliver for our community. It also enabled Baraka to recruit extra staff to cover the youth club sessions as the numbers of participants grew.
“The new fund will see Baraka continue working with and helping the community and starting new projects. One of the new projects that we are planning to start is working with young people aged 18-to-25 and their fathers. We have already had one consultation with them last month and we will be holding another in January. We will hopefully start the new project in March 2024.”
The Voluntary Sector Support Fund has been in place since 2021 and has expanded since its first year. To ensure that organisations can deliver their services effectively, organisations that were funded last year, and successful this year, will see little or no reduction in their funding.
Kensington and Chelsea Council is now working with successful applicants to help them access and deploy their funds effectively, as well as with unsuccessful applicants who will be offered support and informed of any further funding opportunities.
Find out more about organisations funded through the VSSF on our Community and Local Life pages.