Novicell recently teamed up with local charity programme Hackney Giving to join in their efforts to support Hackney residents amid the cost-of-living crisis. Hackney Giving stands by the simple principle that “everyone has something to give”. Whether it’s money, time, skills, or space, Hackney Giving offers different ways for individuals and businesses to give, all while knowing that it will be supporting the local Hackney community.
What is Hackney Giving?
Hackney Giving was founded in 2014 and run until 2017 with the support of the National Lottery Community Fund. In their first three years, they were able to raise over £300k for local community groups. Then in 2019, Hackney Giving gained the support of the City Bridge Trust, which enabled the relaunch of the scheme, as well as a five-year extension of their operations. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit around the same time Hackney Giving was set to open its doors to grassroots organisations once more. The silver lining was that Hackney giving was on hand to offer rapid support to the local community, bolstering their existing pandemic response by running grants rounds on behalf of the Council and NHS, as well as distributing funding donated by businesses and individuals. Today, Hackney Giving is continuing to support the borough and is refocusing their efforts on community organisations amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Sarah Watson, Development and Programme Manager at Hackney Giving comments, “Hackney Giving is the local giving scheme for Hackney and the City of London. We raise donations from individuals and businesses and channel the funds out to local not-for-profit community groups. Currently, we know that people in Hackney and the City are feeling the pinch and we want to be in a position where we are helping people to navigate this crisis.
During the pandemic, we were humbled by the generosity of local residents and businesses who donated tens of thousands of pounds to Hackney Giving. We channelled this money to community groups, and they provided food packages and other essentials to residents shielding at home. We are calling upon the generosity of Hackney and City residents once again to help people in need during the cost-of-living crisis. Hackney Giving already has just over £12k in hand from previous fundraising. We are looking to bring that up to £25k with this appeal.”
Watson continues, “Hackney Giving worked closely with Hackney Council, the NHS and the City and Hackney Public Health team during the pandemic to support residents and help them stay safe. We’ve distributed more than £1.3 million in grants in the past two and a half years. We hope now to be able to support local communities as they deal with the current difficulties of the cost-of-living crisis.”
Hackney Giving has a track record of supporting many groups of individuals including those within the LGBTQ+ community, young people with autism, long-term sufferers of HIV, individuals suffering from mental health illnesses, people with disabilities, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Who do they fund?
Organisations funded through Hackney Giving must have a turnover of less than £300,000 per year and apply for a specified project or piece of work.
Donations of funds from businesses and individuals are held in a central Hackney Giving grants pot until there is enough money to hold a grants round. The fund has clear guidelines on who can apply and the type of project that will be funded, meaning you can give with the confidence and the knowledge that your donation will be made accessible to those who need it most.
What does Hackney Giving do?
Between April 2020 and March 2022, Hackney Giving:
- Distributed more than £1.2 million to community groups and non-profit organisations in Hackney via 10 grant rounds
- Received donations from 219 individuals
- Made 139 grants
- Funded 94 organisations
- Helped four businesses connect to communities in Hackney
- Worked with City and Hackney Public Health team and North East London Clinical Commissioning Group
Grants during the pandemic went to:
- Provide food and supplies
- Reduce inequalities
- Reduce the digital divide
- Reduce isolation and loneliness
- Support people remotely
- Make a positive difference in people’s wellbeing
- Help people recuperate and remain safe at home
- Provide public health information to communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic
- Help people living with mental health issues
- Support vaccination events and provide outreach to reduce vaccination inequity
How does Novicell help?
Novicell teamed up with Hackney giving because we want to make an impact on the borough we work in every day. We have agreed to donate our expertise to the programme to aid in their marketing efforts to attract individual donors. Since the staff at Hackney Giving already has so many undertakings, we set out to help them in a practical way by improving their online outreach; creating a marketing strategy that will help them gain more brand awareness throughout this community. Since the core of Hackney Giving is “everyone has something to give”, we are excited to give our time and expertise to help set them up for many more years of success.
How can you help?
If you would like to donate, please check out the Hackney Giving website. There are other ways to donate as well. Are you celebrating a big birthday and feel that you already have everything you need? Are you running a marathon and looking for a charity to support? Consider having Hackney Giving as your nominated charity. If you are unable to donate monetarily, consider volunteering with this amazing organisation.
Notes to editors: Hackney Giving is part of the charity Hackney CVS, registered charity number: 1069736
