Following a meeting between the Mayor and Cabinet last week, 25 community projects will be awarded funds from Lewisham Council’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL).
Projects specifically tackling crime, providing activities for young people, mental health support and recovery from COVID-19 have been targeted for funding.
One community group receiving funding, the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, is a youth and community development charity invested in supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by creating opportunities through sports, media, arts and education.
Second Wave, a youth arts charity, will also receive funding. Providing workshops and events to young people in Lewisham with a particular focus on young women facing sexual harassment and violence, they are one of the several BAME-led organisations to receive support.
The money will come from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which the Council gives to new developments in Lewisham. Each of Lewisham’s 18 wards will receive their own portion of NCIL funding based on the number of new developments and amount of deprivation in the area for funding to be fairly distributed.
In a statement released to the Lewisham Council website, consultation with local community groups has found much enthusiasm for the proposal of an “economically sound future, a healthy and well future, and a future that we all have a part in”.
Councillor Kim Powell has said “by involving our local communities in decisions around NCIL funding, residents will get a real say on the investment they want to see in their local area and the community projects that will benefit them most”.
Following consultation with voluntary and community groups in Lewisham, the Council’s Main Grants Programme has been renewed for 2022-25. Kim Powell commented “We have a proud record of investing in our local communities, even when faced with the challenges of austerity and central government cuts.”
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