Women's Fund for London

Thanks to the collective support of our donors, we are delighted to announce that we have raised £210,000 for the first phase of the Women’s Fund for London. This will enable four vital community organisations to build the financial resilience of 405 women in London:

• Kundakala CIC - supporting women with employability training and paid work experience through the Make and Mend and Upcycle programs.

• Strength & Stem - and the 'Flowers for the Future' programme, aiding women survivors of trafficking with employability skills.

• Luminary Bakery - supporting their employment programme in Camden, benefiting women experiencing economic disadvantage.

• MISGAV - supporting skills development for minoritised disabled women in Hackney.

We're so grateful to you all for your support but this is just the beginning and poverty remains an urgent issue for women and their families across London. Our ambition for the next phase of the Women's Fund for London is to support even more effective community-led organisations on the frontline of helping disadvantaged women out of poverty.

With your support we can:

1. Fund their vital services so they can reach more women in need.
2. Support them with £20,000 for three years to strengthen as organisations for the future.
3. Work with them to raise awareness of the invaluable work community-led projects do and the needs of women in London.

The experiences of women in London

London is an incredible city, if you live and work here, if you’re a Londoner, you’ll know it. But it is also a city with the highest rates of poverty in the UK, a city of extreme inequality, of haves and have-nots. The cost-of-living crisis we are all experiencing is not being felt equally. Women are being especially hard hit.

There are over four million women and girls living in London. But their experiences in our city vary hugely. Dynamics related to poverty, race, culture, community, religion, and language mean their experiences and the challenges they face are layered, with many being marginalised, unable to access the same opportunities as others.

In London women are:

• More likely to be living in poverty – they have been disproportionately hit by the rise in cost of living, especially Black and minoritised women, disabled women, older women and lone parents.
• More likely to be in low-paid jobs – women are more than twice as likely to be in temporary work and on zero-hours contracts, worrying about unemployment and unable to make ends meet.
• More likely to have fallen behind on bills and skipped meals – they are the ‘shock absorbers of poverty’ tending to be the provider of food for their family and manage the household budget, exposing them to constant strain and anxiety.
• Experiencing unprecedented levels of abuse and violence – support services are reporting unprecedented levels of women coming forward to report abuse, with 96% reporting that the crisis is making the abuse worse.

Our experience of supporting women in London

In 2023 we awarded £845,000 to support women and girls in London. Through our Together for London programme, delivered last winter, we provided food, essential items and advice to women struggling with the cost of living. And through our Violence Against Women and Girls Grassroots Fund we provided women experiencing violence with advice, support, therapy, and refuge. We are now keen to provide longer-term support to enable women to build more secure financial futures free from poverty.

Our ambition with your support

Our ambition is to provide women in London, especially those living in poverty and those disproportionately impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, with the skills, tools, and knowledge to increase their financial resilience and that of their families.

To achieve this goal, we are proposing funding local, community organisations and services that meet the specific needs of women to enable them to find work, better quality work or earn an income through a business. In practice this could be a range of services that provide women with what they need such as debt and money advice, skills development such as English language or digital skills, employment support such as developing a CV or ways to look for work or training to gain accreditations or experience. We will provide vital funding to enable them to reach more women and strengthen themselves as organisations. We will also gather information about their services and impact to raise awareness and generate more funding for community-based organisations supporting women in London, which we believe often operate under the radar and are under resourced, despite the role they play in supporting women in our community.

An example of a community project we have already supported through the Women's Fund for London:

Kundakala is a Hackney-based social enterprise provides women experiencing hardship with a six-month sewing course that aims to empower them to come together, connect, develop enterprise skills and become professional seamstresses. Course participants receive a sewing machine, gifted to them once they graduate; basic sewing supplies; weekly workshops in tailoring skills; paid work experience to make Kundakala products such as scarves and table linen; and coaching sessions on next steps, whether to become self-employed or find employment.

The programme is particularly effective because it is run locally, by women from the community. This means they can build trust with the women who participate and ensure it is accessible to those who most need it. The unique model encourages social inclusion and promotes positive mental well-being for disadvantaged women already struggling to cope financially.

Through the ‘Make and Mend’ programme, Kundakala has provided employability and enterprise support for minoritised women. The programme aims to improve women’s confidence and well-being, reduce social isolation and help women take steps to become financially independent. With the impact of the rising costs of living in London, Kundakala has provided a refuge for women to become financially resilient. One service user stated that it brought “light and hope to a very challenging time of my life”.

The benefits of supporting the Women’s Fund for London

• You can donate at any level and contribute to the Women’s Fund for London.
• Your donation will make a difference to women in your local community, right here in London.
• Your donation will go a long way, small, local community projects provide excellent value for money in what they achieve with the resources they have.
• You will have the chance to hear stories, updates and receive impact reports about the projects and what your donation has achieved.
• You will have the chance to visit and connect with local projects helping women, right here in London.
• You will have the chance to attend events and meet other supporters of the women’s fund and the community leaders who support women across London.
• We can also attend your office, bringing your colleagues closer to the impact they are making.

Show your support

Recent research shows that less than 2% of grants recorded on 360 giving in 2021 went to women’s and girls’ organisations. We can’t do this alone. It is going to take a powerful, collective effort from all of us to give women the fair chance they deserve. You too, can make a difference by donating to our Women’s Fund for London to build a brighter future for women in London.

If you would like to talk to us about how you can make a difference to women’s lives in London this year, please contact harbi.jama@londoncf.org.uk.