Groups bid for Grenfell funds
COUNCIL FUNDING OF £600K TO HELP PROJECTS AROUND AFFECTED AREAS
WHEN the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea announced its £600,000 Grenfell Project Fund to support community-led recovery following the Grenfell tragedy, people will have been wondering exactly how the money will be spent.
Since then, more than 100 applications were made by local organisations, residents’ associations and existing groups in the Grenfell affected area.
The grant programme was codesigned with local residents who helped determine six categories the fund would be equally split between.
These were:
■ Community well-being
■ Educational opportunities
■ Social and cultural events
■ Community safety
■ Activities for young people
■ Food growing/greening initiatives that support the local environment
More than 150 residents of North Kensington gathered in Kensington Aldridge Academy for the first instalment of ‘Decision Day,’ where the community voted on projects supporting community well-being and educational opportunities to increase skills.
Residents heard presentations from dozens of groups and individuals before voting on which projects they would like to see funded.
Councillor Anne Cyron, the lead member for communities, said: “This fund is all about supporting the recovery and therefore it’s completely right that people should be able to make the decision about how they want the money spent and what projects they want to see supported.”
Tarik Kaidi, founder of Minds United Football Club, which received funding to provide football sessions for adults in the community with mental health issues, said: “This means a lot because the people who we’re helping are the ones who believe in the project and believe it’s going to be successful.
“We’ve only been set up for a year so it’s hard for projects like ours to get funding. It’s nice that the Grenfell Projects Fund makes it easier to access and I’m glad that I put in a bid – it has really paid off.”
All successful projects will be monitored by the council to ensure funds are being spent on the project. All projects have until March 2021 to spend the funds. Residents now await announcement of the next instalment of ‘Decision Day’ where they will vote on which organisations in the remaining categories will share the remaining £400,000.