London Mayor offers £525k to bring London’s communities together at EURO 2020

Communities across the capital will be able to access up to £525,000 of funding to use UEFA EURO 2020 to bring people together, under a new scheme launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Next summer EURO 2020 will be held across the continent for the first time in its 60-year history, with matches played in 12 cities. Wembley Stadium will host seven matches: three in the group stage, one in the first knock-out round, both semi-finals and the final.

The Mayor of London EURO 2020 Grants Programme will offer funding to local projects from a total pot of up to £525,000, enabling Londoners to get involved with the tournament at a grassroots level.

The funding is aimed at supporting one-off events, football-based initiatives and innovative community-led projects – all of which must include a focus on celebrating EURO 2020 or improving social integration in the local area.

Grants of between £500 and £10,000 will be made available to individuals or groups for projects such as a neighbourhood music festival, a community sports day, women’s football training sessions, cooking lessons featuring different European cuisines or helping people at risk of loneliness find someone to watch EURO 2020 matches with.

This comes during an historic period for sport in London, which has seen the city host major international tournaments including the finals of the men’s and women’s Cricket World Cups and the World Athletics Championships, all of which has further cemented London’s position as the world’s sporting capital.

The grants will be available through three funds:

· Celebrate as One fund: helping all Londoners celebrate the tournament in their local communities with one-off events specifically aimed at tackling social isolation and increasing social integration.

· Free Kicks fund: helping run informal, football-focused physical activity sessions, designed for Londoners with low activity levels.

· Community fund: supporting communities to create innovative new projects or extend current initiatives that use a EURO 2020 or European theme to bring together people who might not normally interact.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Football is our national sport and it has a remarkable power to bring people together. We are already getting excited about seeing top teams from across the continent playing here.

“Next summer England will be united in its support for Gareth Southgate’s side and I’m committed to helping Londoners of all backgrounds join in the celebrations in a way which can have a lasting, positive impact on our communities.

“I’m encouraging individuals and local organisations across London to apply for funding for their events and projects to make sure that EURO 2020 doesn’t just create long-lasting memories – but some tangible benefits for the capital as well.”

A number of local organisations across London have received funding from City Hall under the current Mayoralty for projects which use sport to bring communities together, including Croydon Voluntary Action and the Change Foundation.

Head of Operations Croydon Voluntary Action, Christine Double, said: “We’re very excited about this investment by the Mayor, giving so many Londoners the opportunity to be involved with EURO 2020 in a whole range of ways.

“The grant programme will make a big difference to many community organisations across the capital, who play amazing and diverse roles in improving Londoners’ lives and experiences in our city.”

Director of Design and Impact at the Change Foundation, Navjeet Sira, said: “As a previous recipient of Mayor of London funding, we know how critical these investments can be to local organisations.

“A major sports tournament, combined with opportunities for funding, empower grassroots organisations to build on their life-changing work and think of new solutions to use sport as a force for good. These types of grants allow us to diversify our work while helping to contribute to social good in London.”

Applications will open in November and groups will have until mid-January to apply, for projects scheduled to run between May and August next year.

ENDS

Notes

Celebrate as One fund

Grants of £500-£1,000 from a total pot of up to £100,000; open to individuals, groups, registered charities, community interest companies, and other third-sector organisations. The ‘Celebrate as One’ fund will give Londoners the change to engage with and celebrate the tournament in their local communities. It will support one-off community events celebrating EURO 2020, incorporating some kind of physical activity, and addressing social isolation and/or social integration.

Free Kicks fund

Grants of £1,000-£4,000 from a total pot of up to £275,000; open to registered charities, community interest companies and other third-sector organisations. The ‘Free Kicks Fund’ will give grants for organisations to run 12 informal, football-focused sessions. The fund will use EURO 2020 to improve physical activity for Londoners. Part of this fund is ring-fenced for activity for women and girls.

Community fund

Grants of £4,000 - £10,000 from a total pot of up to £150,000; open to registered charities, community interest companies, and other third-sector organisations (with an annual turnover under £500,000). This fund will invest in community-led projects which bring people together who might not normally interact, or extend existing projects to a wider audience (such as cooking classes, teaching languages, match-day befriending projects or community football training programmes). Projects must bring Londoners together and help them to feel a part of EURO 2020 or celebrate Europe in London more generally.