Small community grants available to help Hackney celebrate Windrush Day
Last month Hackney Council received funding from the government’s Windrush Day grant scheme to help educate, commemorate and celebrate the outstanding contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants.
Now £4,000 of that funding is being made available to community groups across the borough to fund small projects in the lead up to and as part of Windrush Day celebrations on 22 June, the day the Windrush docked at Tilbury over 70 years ago.
The ship was the first to bring Commonwealth citizens from the Caribbean to the UK, part of a request from the British government to help rebuild Britain after World War II. This important moment in Britain’s history has come to represent the enormous contribution migrants and their descendants have made to British life and identity.
Groups can apply for up to £400 of funding for a project or event around one of the themes established by Hackney’s Windrush steering group. These themes are: food, arts & culture, sports & cricket, style & hair, economic well-being, entrepreneurship & finance, housing, work & employment, civil rights & civic engagement.
There are three objectives to the Windrush micro grant programme, which are to:
Celebrate - To celebrate the positive contributions that the Windrush generation and their descendants have made to the borough.
Commemorate - To develop better understanding across communities of local Windrush contributions.
Educate - To take Windrush generation history and culture to a wider and intergenerational audience.
Alongside the community grants Hackney Council is organising a celebration for Windrush elders at Stoke Newington Town Hall on 22 June, an intergenerational Caribbean baking project for elders and young people, and intergenerational cricket activity and sports celebration in early June.
If your community group is interested in applying for a microgrant, please complete this online form by midnight on Monday, 22 April 2019:
Hackney has a large Caribbean population, and as such we welcome the chance to offer these grants to fund grassroots community events to celebrate and commemorate the borough’s Windrush generation, as well as educating the wider community and young people on the importance of this community’s contribution to British life and culture. I would encourage local groups to get in touch, apply and find out how they can get involved in this years celebrations.
If you have any queries, please email Asta Dovydaite, asta.dovydaite@hackney.gov.uk , or call: 020 8356 3520.
The submissions will be assessed in line with criteria set by Hackney’s Windrush Day Steering group. Successful organisations will be asked to submit proof of eligibility, and sign a short, written agreement with Hackney Council. The delivery of activities is subject to the Council’s accountability and grant conditions. All microgrant holders will join up with the Government’s communications strategy for all activities.
The Council’s Windrush Day Steering group is made up of Council officers, local campaigners, councillors and Windrush elders.