- Charities, social enterprises and training providers in the UK and Northern Ireland benefit from small grants of up to £10,000 set to make a big difference to communities
- New skills initiative supporting organisations working to improve access to skills and development
Launched as a pilot scheme in January of this year, the Local Community Skills Fund has now awarded a total of £144108 in grants of up to £10,000 to twenty charities, social enterprises and training providers across the UK.
Through this support, the Local Community Skills Fund will tackle skills gaps at a hyper-local level and aims to positively impact communities where access to training and development are limited and improve opportunities in areas facing acute deprivation.
Grant recipients include organisations which provide skills and employment opportunities for young people, vulnerable women, people with disabilities, and individuals with neural difference.
The new Local Community Skills Fund complements established City & Guilds grant giving schemes, including dedicated funding streams for frontline charities supporting individuals with convictions and displaced people to gain skills and find meaningful employment, together with a longstanding bursary scheme to help individuals facing barriers to gain the skills society needs.
City & Guilds’ latest Impact Report revealed that £15.3 billion in social and economic returns was contributed to society in the UK via access to skills through its courses in the period 2023-24.
Kieran Connolly, Founder and CEO of Sports Fun 4 All, a charity which works to improve the lives of children and young people in disadvantaged communities in South London, said:
“The funding from City & Guilds will allow us to continue the delivery of our Sports Fun 4 All’s Sports Development Programme which provides structured employability pathways through sport for young people aged 16+ who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET).”
Paul Bohan, Chief Executive at The Zink Project, an East Midlands charity which tackles poverty through employability support, said:
“City & Guilds Foundation funding will enable Zink to support individuals who struggle to get work or who haven’t worked before into volunteer placements to build work skills and gain confidence in their place in the labour market.”
Faiza Khan MBE, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs & Foundation, City & Guilds, said:
“At City & Guilds, we know that focusing on local skills challenges can have a huge impact on living standards and prospects in communities. I’m delighted that we are supporting these organisations, which will open doors for people across the UK facing barriers to gaining skills or career options, and look forward to discovering more about how these innovative projects have helped change lives.”
A full list of the Community Skills Fund Recipients can be found here: cityandguildsfoundation.org/what-we-offer/funding/local-community-skills-fund