Preparations for The London Festival – a two-week cultural, arts, and entertainment extravaganza scheduled for summer 2023 – continue, and Empower London Foundation has announced partnerships with four additional UK-based charities. The charities, including the Mayor’s Fund for London, will receive funds totalling around £10 million per year.
Vital funds raised by The London Festival will be distributed among Empower London Foundation’s chosen charities. The monies will assist different industries, such as arts, education, and music. They will fund educational programmes, support schemes, and community programmes that help all Londoners, regardless of background or ability.
Four additional key charities
Mayor’s Fund for London
The Mayor’s Fund for London is an independent charity championing opportunities for young Londoners coming from low-income backgrounds.
UK Reads
UK Reads help disadvantaged children, young people, and their families thrive at school and in life by providing access to vital literacy support and resources.
Angel Shed Theatre
Angel Shed Theatre is a space for children of all abilities and backgrounds to access the transformative power of performing arts.
The Access Project
Their mission at The Access Project is to support disadvantaged students through tuition and mentoring enabling them to secure places at top universities.
Pan-London charity, the Mayor’s Fund for London, focuses on wellbeing, skills, and employment, and enterprise to enhance the lives of young people from low-income backgrounds and disadvantaged communities. Formed in 2008, the charity has raised funds and delivered roughly £30m worth of support. This support is in the form of food, wellbeing, skills, and employment programmes for 250,000 children and young people across all 33 London boroughs.
Mayor’s Fund for London Chief Executive Kirsty McHugh said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Empower London for The London Festival. London is a great city. However, many of our young Londoners are still shut out of the opportunities on offer. Through collaborations like these, we aim to make sure that all young Londoners, regardless of background, can thrive. Our partnership with Empower London will help us provide healthy food and holiday activities, fun skills support, plus access to great long-term careers.”
Angel Shed Theatre enriches the lives of young people through the power of the performing arts. The charity caters to all children across Islington and beyond. They also actively reach out to those most likely to feel excluded in other social settings. Through regular workshops, Angel Shed Theatre brings an inclusive, creative space to those who face barriers to artistic participation.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to partner with Empower London and through the London Festival to share the amazing work that our children and young people create,” said Dawn Davis, Executive Director from Angel Shed Theatre.
These partnerships cement an ongoing relationship between the charities and Empower London Foundation since the funds raised will come from The London Festival. The Foundation promises long-term action to ensure continuity in funding. The festival aims to raise £150M for charitable causes over the next ten years. It will showcase live musical performances, city-wide cultural events, and entertainment for the whole family.
Nathan Sansom, Chief Executive of The Access Project, is excited their charity has been chosen by Empower London Foundation.
“It is great to have been selected by Empower London as one of London’s ‘brightest’ charities. Disadvantaged students in London have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – and need our support now more than ever. We know our programme makes an enormous impact – this year over two-thirds of our students secured places at top universities. With future funding, we can ensure even more students in London access our support and realise their full potential.”
Marina Barros, an Empower London Trustee said: “Getting to work with these charities is something that we’re very proud to announce at Empower London Foundation. The work that these charities are doing is nothing short of inspiring and we can’t wait to help provide funds that will allow them to continue their life-changing work in the communities that need it most across London.”
To find out more about the Empower London Foundation and the London Festival, visit: https://empower-london.org and https://thelondonfestival.com
About
Empower London Foundation is committed to raising funds to better the lives of disadvantaged communities and underappreciated individuals in the capital. They partner with reputable charities and public sector organisations.
By raising funds via an annual two-week-long event known as The London Festival, the charity seeks to provide funds to many charities operating in the capital. The festival helps them provide educational programmes, funds for community entrepreneurs, and fund public awareness campaigns on important topics that affect communities in the London area.
