Barnet Council and partners award £450,000 in grants to community projects
Barnet residents at a community project
The Barnet Council-led Community Innovation Fund (CIF) has awarded over £450,000 in second-round grants to local projects helping residents and communities improve their health and wellbeing.
This round of funding saw grants awarded to 30 local organisations that are promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, green spaces for healthy leisure projects and supporting family, children and young people’s health.
For example, Kisharon, a charity dedicated to helping people with learning disabilities in Child’s Hill, received nearly £10,000 to develop an accessible, multi-sensory garden for adults with learning disabilities, children, and the wider community.
The Colindale Communities Trust was awarded over £21,000 to work with members of the community disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, while the African Cultural Association has almost £10,000 to help its work reducing loneliness, isolation and increasing people’s employability skills.
Dr Tamara Djuretic, Joint Director of Public Health and Prevention at Barnet Council and the Royal Free Group, said:
“Giving the residents of Barnet opportunities and access to facilities and organisations to help maintain and improve their health and wellbeing is at the heart of what we do. Our thriving community and voluntary sector is well-placed to understand local needs and we are delighted to see great engagement across the borough.
“By supporting the people of Barnet to adopt healthy lifestyles we help prevent avoidable illnesses and improve physical and mental wellbeing while reducing the impact on health services.”
Since its launch in spring 2021 the joint initiative, between local NHS acute and community trusts, North Central London CCG and Barnet Council, has provided 37 organisations with grants totalling over £580,000.
It is administered by Barnet Council and majority funded by the Barnet Borough Partnership, it is co-designed with Barnet Together – the borough’s voluntary sector partnership with voluntary, community and faith sector organisations at its core.
The CIF and Barnet Borough Partnership has also been shortlisted for the Community Involvement LGC award for its effort to co-design and empower local community groups. The LGC Awards celebrate the achievements of local government showcasing the very best of local authority innovation, collaboration, and delivery. The winners will be announced in July.
If you are from a voluntary or community organisation providing support to Barnet residents, you can contact the council’s Community Innovation and Funding Manager Marta Montague: [email protected] External link
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