John Lyon's charity Annual Report 2024 - Report - Page 11
Supporting grassroots
As a grant making organisation, John Lyon’s Charity has
made the decision to only award grants to registered
charities and schools. This gives us an additional layer
of security and assurance that these organisations are
overseen by the Charity Commission. However, there are
significant numbers of organisations based within the
Beneficial Area, including new fledgling organisations,
that are doing amazing work for local children and young
people that don’t access other services. The HSC strategy
sought to devise a way for the Charity’s funding to reach
these small, local, community groups. The Young People’s
Foundations (YPFs) are well placed to support the smallest
community led youth groups and the YPF Small Grants Fund
(£3,000,000) enables small amounts of funding to reach
those organisations and ensures there continues to be a
vibrant grassroots voluntary sector.
Developing partnerships
At a time of crisis, it is natural for organisations to look
inwards to keep the wheels turning, in order to survive.
John Lyon’s Charity has always believed in the power of
collaboration and has acted as a convener for greater
partnership working for many years. To really maintain a
vibrant voluntary sector, it was vital to us that we find a way
to encourage innovation and shared working practices, to
develop the best outcomes for children and young people.
The Collaboration Fund (£6,480,000) formalises this as
a statement of intent, and provides an opportunity for
organisations to look up, look out and work together.
It is the most ambitious element of the six-year strategy
seeking to bring together organisations that work across
the three most significant areas of a child’s life: their
Home, School and Community.
JOHN LYON’S CHARITY ANNUAL REPORT 2024
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