In this article, Clare Martin explores how charities can effectively use AI to support their marketing efforts without losing their authentic voice, offering practical tips for small teams to integrate AI strategically, maintain consistency, and lighten their workload. Give it a read here.
Black and Racially Minoritised charities and social enterprises in England can now benefit from £4 million of funding and support via the Social Investment Business. Delivered in partnership with the Ubele Initiative and Create Equity, the Flexible Finance Fund will support the growth and long-term resilience of up to twenty-five organisations working to improve people’s lives or the environment they live in. Flexible loans of between £50,000 to £1.5 million are available with up to 100% of this amount as a grant (capped at £200,000), with terms of between 1 to 6 years at a fixed rate of 7.9% per annum. Eligible applicants must have been operating for at least two years and have a minimum turnover of £200,000. Applications are accepted at any time. Grants & Loans to Support Black & Racially Minoritised Organisations (England)
Grants up to £40,000 will soon be available to community groups and other not-for-profit organisations delivering sport and physical activity to underserved children and young people in London. The funding is made available through the Go! London Foundation Grants programme, which aims to transform the lives of young people aged 4-24 through sport and activity, and improve the sustainability of the groups delivering these activities. Grants are usually available for a maximum of two years, and can support both project and core costs. Groups and organisations with an annual income of less than £500,000 will be eligible to apply. Further details will be made available when the fund opens on the 30th June 2025. The deadline for applications will be the 15th September 2025. Funding for Youth Sports & Activity Programmes (London)
On Wednesday 18th June 2025 between 10am – 1pm, a group of professionals from the public, voluntary and community sectors will be hosting a community conversation with residents who care for and support families with children aged under 5 years old living in Hammersmith and Fulham, to explore how to work together with residents to identify what is missing, what types of services is available and how best to help families get what they need .
The story so far………
One of the GP practices noticed that many people came to them with needs that the surgery was not able to help with. In addition, noted were families not able to take up offers of support when offered. Initially, this led to a small group of professionals coming together from which they decided and agreed that this requires a bigger conversation with families.
From initial conversations, the group provided the following feedback from conversations with parents and or carers that covered:
- Strengths in the system
- Issues around structural challenges
- Emotional and relational challenges
- Access barriers
- And more…
It is a pleasure being part of this vital work in the community as residents have shared their concerns around the issues mentioned above. They also shared that they appreciate the opportunity to have their voices recognized and the importance of it being heard in a meaningful and constructive way.
This is the beginning of a series of planned community conversations.
Please share this opportunity to be part of a community conversation with residents and people you support in this borough.
To register for the event
For residents of Hammersmith and Fulham:
please contact Sharon Tomlin at Sobus
Email: sharon.tomlin@sobus.org. uk.
M: 07860 785 950 (call, text or whatsapp)
For professionals:
Please register on Eventbrite. See the link below.
Support is available to assist low-income families caring for disabled or seriously ill young people aged 18 to 24 who live at home, helping to manage the significant additional costs of caring for young adults with high support needs. Funding is available for essential items that improve quality of life and promote independence, including technology, white goods, clothing, adapted sports equipment, travel expenses, and access to social or leisure activities. Applications must be submitted by a parent or carer and are considered on a first-come, first-served basis until resources are exhausted. This funding is provided by UK charity Family Fund through its Your Opportunity grant programme. Funding to Support Young People Living with Disabilities (UK)
Grants of up to £2,000 are available to support individuals and families in temporary and emergency accommodation in London, including single-parent households and care leavers transitioning to independent living. These grants can be used for essential home or family items, training and education, recreational trips for children, and community initiatives that foster social inclusion and well-being. The Foundation offers two types of grants: up to £2,000 for community organisations supporting individuals and up to £200 for outreach/social/care workers or legal professionals applying on behalf of individuals. The next application deadline is the 1st August 2025. Grants to Support Individuals and Families Living in Temporary and Emergency Accommodation (London)
We are a local choir rehearsing in the POSK in King Street Hammersmith and always looking for new members. We will be appearing in Hammersmith on 5th July. Find out more
Over the years, the Community Link Advisors have developed a strong and collaborative relationship with the communities of Hammersmith & Fulham, as well as with the various external services and organisations supporting the borough. Your ongoing support has been instrumental in enhancing the experiences of our service users, helping to make their journeys more manageable. We deeply appreciate the invaluable contributions you have made over the years. While our service plays a vital role in their support network, it is only one part of a much larger system of care. It is the collective efforts of communities and services like yours that provide the continuity and stability needed for individuals to progress in their wellbeing journey.
I’m pleased to share with you our workshop timetable for June. These interactive and informative sessions are led by my colleague and me.
I’ve also included links to this month’s mental health tips:
How-to-Sustain-Motivation-Throughout-the-Day
Feel free to share it with your colleagues and service users or clients. Please note that the outing is exclusively for our service users, while all other sessions are open to the public. If you are interested or know anyone who would benefit from these workshops, please contact the service.
As a voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation (VCSE) you are best placed to support local people in your community. This programme is aimed at organisations that
provide specific health-related activities to help improve the health and wellbeing of northwest London residents. The northwest London area is Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham,
Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster.
We have £250,000 funding available to support impact projects. Your funding request can be between £5,000 and £50,000. Projects must be delivered for a minimum of 12 months and up
to 24 months. Previous grantees from the 2023/24 and 20245/25 rounds cannot apply. To help you with your application, the sample Application Form is available from the Compassionate Communities programme webpage. You will need to complete and submit your application on Flexigrant (imperial.flexigrant.com), our grants system. If your application is successful and to plan your reporting back on your project, you can access the sample Progress and End of Grant Report Forms from the Compassionate Communities programme webpage. These should be completed on Flexigrant at the appropriate time. If you would like to discuss your project before applying, please email Philip Howard, Grants Manager at:
grants@imperialcharity.org.uk. The deadline to apply is Thursday 4 September 2025, 12 noon. Compassionate Communities funding programme
My name is Jemima, and I am the new Coproduction Officer at Sobus. Since joining the team, I have been learning more about the Borough and the local VCS and am excited to get started!
My role is focused on health inequalities – we know that communities are not getting the support and access to health services that they need. A coproduction approach to health inequalities means putting residents and voluntary and community organisations at the heart of the design and delivery of health services. By listening to the voices of residents about their experiences of health services and the barriers they face, health providers can make their services more accessible and inclusive for different cultures and communities. I am working with both the voluntary and community sector and statutory services to support this collaboration and reduce the barriers to accessing health services.
Alongside this work with Sobus, I am also working part-time at Islington Refugee and Migrant Forum, supporting refugee and migrant organisations with fundraising, capacity building, and partnership working.
If you have any questions about my work or would like to get in touch, please email me at Jemima.hill@sobus.org.uk
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.