Thank you so much to our incredible community of supporters, donors, groups, and partners for your continued support this year! Here are the top 10 highlights of our impactful year. Let’s achieve this and more in 2024!
1. Supporting families through the cost-of-living crisisÂ
When the cost of living soared, we launched an appeal to provide emergency grants to local people who needed it most. Together we raised an incredible £130,835 and have since worked with 20 local organisations to provide grants to more than 400 local people.
2. Amplifying local voicesÂ
From young people, refugees, and asylum seekers to older people in our community, we continued to share the stories and experiences of local people across our community. Check out our content from International Women’s Day, Mental Health Awareness week, and the Islington Winter Appeal, to name a few.
3. Showcasing our impact to date
Showcasing our work over the last year, we launched our Impact Report 2022! Thanks to the support of local people and organisations, we supported 81 diverse organisations and 106 incredible projects locally. We hosted the ‘Impact in Islington’ event to celebrate our collective local impact.
4. Making it happen in IslingtonÂ
Together with Housing Association partners, Peabody, Hyde Housing, Southern and Clarion, our Make it Happen Fund helped to bring to life over 40 inspiring ideas, bringing joy to communities across Islington in 2023. You can read more about the projects here.
5. Celebrating our young peopleÂ
Following 2022’s celebration of a decade of impact with our coalition partner Macquarie Group, this year we came together to celebrate our talented young people through Young Jobs, a project developed in partnership with Macquarie. The initiative provides work placements for local young people, enabling them to gain experience, build skills and develop their networks. In the first two years of the programme, 39 work placements were brokered through three local organisations: Local Village Network, Soapbox Islington, and People’s Place Community Partnership. Placements included a number with local marketing and communications agency Open.
6. Tackling food insecurityÂ
Together with the Islington Food Partnership, and with the help of Google.org, we distributed £150,000 across two rounds of the Islington Food Fund, supporting local food services to continue their vital support and to build a resilient and equitable food community.
7. Shifting power through participatory grant-makingÂ
Having run seven resident-led panels over six years, with almost 100 residents awarding over £1m to more than 50 projects, our participatory grant-making programmes are shifting power in Islington. A big thank you to City Bridge Foundation, National Lottery Community Foundation and BBC Children in Need, Mercers Charitable Foundation for supporting this work. Stay tuned for updates on our current Young Grant Makers and Golden Grant Makers programmes.
8. Supporting people experiencing homelessnessÂ
Mind the Gap refers to the gap between support systems that people experiencing homelessness often find themselves in, adversely impacting their potential for recovery. Explore the diverse Islington projects supporting local people through advocacy and intervention.
9. Sparking joy in the communityÂ
The Islington Winter Appeal kicked off with the ‘Glow in the Angel’ event organised by Angel Islington BID, raising £685 and collecting messages of joy through our juicy coloured postcards at Angel Central. Join us in sparking joy throughout Islington!
10. Launching the Islington Winter AppealÂ
The Islington Winter Appeal is building connections, sparking joy, and changing lives. Thanks to your generosity, we’ve raised over £15,000 to date! Every donation makes a real difference – let’s continue to spread joy where it’s needed most.
