The Championships, Wimbledon are in full swing - one of the great showpiece events in London’s sporting calendar, the highlight of the summer for many across the city and around the world. Yet it is not just world class grass court tennis that makes Wimbledon unmissable, it’s also the catalyst for community transformation, thanks to the work of the Wimbledon Foundation.
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Wimbledon Foundation, the official charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and The Championships. 10 years of making a difference to the local communities, neighbouring the famous grounds. The London Community Foundation has supported the Wimbledon Foundation from its inception, with £3.5m distributed to a wide variety of community-led projects across the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth. Projects such as community centres, digital inclusion skills workshops, cycle maintenance, employability support, community theatre, gardening skills, youth education, literacy programmes, food provision and many more have benefitted from the input of the Wimbledon Foundation. Every time a show court ticket is re-sold via the Ticket Resale scheme, or a set of used match balls purchased, it’s a step closer to strengthening the local community.
The grant that South Mitcham Community Centre has received from the Wimbledon Foundation Community Fund will enable us to run a project for some of the most disadvantaged women in our community. We are so happy to deliver this project, which is the first of its kind for the organisation, and one that fits perfectly with our wellbeing ambitions for the community. We will use this project as a springboard, helping us to plan and deliver more activities that promote positive health and wellbeing.Sarah Grand, Grant and Operations Manager, South Mitcham Community Centre
Since the Wimbledon Foundation began in 2014, there have been 16 rounds of funding from the Wimbledon Foundation Community Fund. Funding that has supported Merton and Wandsworth’s diverse communities through a variety of projects including mental health and wellbeing sessions for all ages, providing creative sessions for people with dementia, employability workshops for young unemployed people, and advice and counselling sessions.
Over £1.7m has been awarded through 287 grants, benefiting more than 40,000 people in the local community. During the pandemic the Wimbledon Foundation also awarded £464,781 to 55 organisations, enabling the groups to react and adapt to best support service users.
The Community Fund + went one stage further, offering two-year continuation and development funding to smaller, user-led groups who had previously received Wimbledon Foundation grants. In this way, the Wimbledon Foundation was one of the first of our donors to see the significance of multi-year funding for core infrastructure to the sustainability of community groups. To date, over £660,000 has been invested in 28 local organisations.
A Roof for All, the Wimbledon Foundation's Homelessness Fund has just come to the end of a five-year programme, in partnership with The London Community Foundation. It was originally created when the retractable roof was added to No. 1 Court to also provide a “roof for all” in the local community. A total of almost £700,000 was awarded to five organisations serving the homeless across Merton and Wandsworth, including four multi-year grants for Ace of Clubs, Glass Door, SPEAR and Spires.
The cost-of-living crisis is now placing many more people on the brink of homelessness and turning to us for help. The ongoing funding from Wimbledon Foundation Homelessness Fund towards our core costs is providing invaluable support and stability as we strive to meet this increasing demand for our help.Ace of Clubs
The Championships 2024 will be a special occasion for the Wimbledon Foundation, and we’re proud to stand with them as they celebrate their anniversary. We’re looking forward to seeing more of their vital work highlighted during the Fortnight and excited about what the future holds for our special partnership together.
The support from the Wimbledon Foundation comes at a much needed time when schools need help to support literacy gaps caused by the disrupted learning over the past years. The grant will be used to launch an exciting new Reading Champions initiative for schools in the most socio-economically deprived areas of Merton.Fiona Razvi, Festival Director, Wimbledon Bookfest
You can find out more about the work of Wimbledon Foundation on their website. If you would like to find out how you can create a fund to make an impact in your local community, please contact Harbi at harbi.jama@londoncf.org.uk and we’d love to explore the options available to you.
