This document gives a snapshot of the work we have funded, or that has come to fruition, since the beginning of 2014.
In 2014 we made 135 grants to tackle poverty and inequality, which together totalled £7.5m. These grants related to our funding priority aims of:
- Employment
- Advice
- Social Justice
- Violence
- Small Groups
We were pleased to see the continuing success of the campaign to promote the living wage and the campaign to tackle female genital mutilation – both of which we have given significant backing to for many years. 2014 was the year in which the number of employers signed up to the living wage tipped over the 1,000 mark.
2014 was also the year in which the Home Office launched an FGM Resource Pack for local authorities.
Alongside these events, the ground for the economic recovery was being laid and we now see some of the benefits from that, in the form of unemployment falling and inflation remaining at very low levels. This is good news. However, with 3 in 10 Londoners still living in poverty, there is much more to do.
Our research tells us that we now need to look towards more nuanced solutions if we are to tackle the problems faced by poorer people in society. Conventional thinking is that the ‘average’ Londoner in poverty is out of work and living in social housing in Inner London; London’s Poverty Profile reveals that this ‘average person’ is now more likely to be in work, living in private rented housing and in Outer London. These findings underline the importance of staying informed about the changing dynamics of poverty and inequality.
In this review you will find information on work that we funded in 2014 that came to fruition either that year or in 2015, as well as signposts to what is coming up. Our staff, trustees and advisors remain committed to tackling poverty and inequality in the capital in the year ahead – a year which is likely to be marked by some improvements in the economy but also major cuts and reforms to the welfare state. We shall work to ensure that these cuts and reforms do not impact disproportionately on the least advantaged in society.
24 June 2015