London
Supporting community business
in London
In London, great wealth rubs up against the stark reality that almost three in ten children are growing up in persistent poverty, the highest proportion in the UK.
Since 2015, Power to Change has invested heavily in close to 300 community businesses in the capital, many of which are community run pubs, shops and cafes in areas of greatest need. Here, these businesses are improving access for local people to much needed services, enhancing community cohesion and tackling social isolation.
Power to Change and Co-operatives UK, supported by the Mayor of London, are running a new funding pilot designed to boost the capital’s high streets and civic centres by growing London’s social economy and community business sector.
Boosting Community Business London will help existing community organisations become community businesses and back grassroots innovation across the capital. The programme is designed to equip both budding and existing community organisations with the knowledge to refine their business and governance models and take the next steps in successfully raising alternative finance, such as community shares.
Development grants have already been awarded to a group looking to purchase and restore a 1930s pub and bring it into community ownership as a live music pub and creative space, and a local charity looking to develop a community share offer to purchase the building they lease and establish a multi-purpose hub with facilities for high street traders. Both have the potential to breathe new life into their communities and aid wealth creation for local people. Applications are open and funding will be awarded on a first-come, first served basis.
Find out more about how we work in your area
case studies
FROM London
The Winch
Once a derelict pub, repurposed by residents into a thriving youth centre, community hub and...
Walthamstow Toy Library
Providing toys and play to the children of north-east London for nearly 50 years....
Wings
A platform for delivery riders, society, and the...
Blackfen Community Library
Blackfen Community Library is a community hub in Sidcup offering valuable services for local children and young people to improve their wellbeing and...
LifeAfterHummus Community Benefit Society
Intergenerational and intersectional values are the driving ethos behind LifeAfterHummus, a community benefit society combating food poverty and food waste in central...
The Platform Café
As a space for community connection, The Platform Café in London provides a patient and understanding place for its young staff to...
Repowering London
Empowering young Londoners through renewable energy projects, Repowering London puts all generations and communities at the heart of our energy...
Sister Midnight
The young women on a mission to establish Lewisham’s first community owned live music...
Friends of the Joiners Arms
A strong community standing up to save threatened LGBTQ+ spaces in Tower Hamlets,...
Kensal Rise Library
Local library opened by Mark Twain reopened in community...
EXPERT OPINIONS
IN OUR LATEST BLOGS
How can we build an ecosystem that supports community businesses to be financially savvy?
While there are many good practices we can adopt at programme level, there are sector gaps in the availability and accessibility of support for community businesses to develop their financial capabilities. We explore what it will take to address sector gaps...
What we’ve learnt about strengthening community businesses’ financial capabilities
Power to Change’s Financial Capabilities pilots – one delivered by The Women’s Organisation, and the other by Locality – aimed to strengthen community businesses’ financial management and decision making. Each project took a different approach, and...
Supporting community businesses to better measure their impact
Community businesses are confident in the impact they are having in their local area, but they need further support in order to evidence...
How will COP26 encourage community climate action?
How will COP26 encourage community climate action? Will Walker, our climate action manager, blogs from...
Levelling up: a story from Bromley-by-Bow
As consensus builds around the importance of social infrastructure to deliver the government’s levelling up ambition, Jenny Sansom shares the story of east London’s Bromley-by-Bow Centre....
Ten things we've learnt about volunteering
Power to Change recently commissioned a study on the value that volunteers contributed to community businesses. In this blog, Sarah Thelwall describes some of the findings that might be useful for community...
Building financial capabilities
We are seeking proposals from organisations with great ideas that will help to transform the sector, making it more resilient and sustainable for the long...
Community business Covid-19 diaries
Community business Covid-19 diaries give us a window in to how these diverse organisations and their communities coped and responded to the...
Diversity, equity and inclusion: where are we now?
Moving towards equity, how will we at Power to Change address the diversity, equity and inclusion recommendations from our latest...
To level up, put communities in the lead
If government is serious about levelling up, it must put communities in the...
The latest news
from London
The energy crisis and community businesses
Power to Change are committed to supporting community businesses to play their role in the fairer, greener...
Levelling Up White Paper: Power to Change responds
Power to Change responds to the publication of the Government's Levelling Up White...
House of Commons committee publishes high street recommendations for government
Power to Change responds to the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee's high streets...
Fan Led Review of Football Governance publishes its recommendations
Power to Change responds to the Fan Led Review of Football Governance...
Older voters sceptical of Government's levelling up agenda
The public, and older voters especially, are extremely sceptical about the likely impact of the government’s levelling up agenda in their...
Abandon centralised ‘Levelling Up’ or risk failure
This new report explores why the government must abandon its centralised Westminster-led approach to ‘Levelling Up’ or risk failure from...
Five key commitments to support minoritised ethnic communities
New research report launches five key commitments to support minoritised ethnic...
Create new £400m fund to help football fans buy their clubs
Our new report calls for government to put a Community Club Ownership Trust at the heart of football reforms as part of its new review following the failed European Super...
Mayor of London backs new fund to boost capital’s high streets
Today, community business champions Power to Change and Co-operatives UK, supported by the Mayor of London, launched a new funding pilot designed to boost the capital’s high streets and civic...
200+ BAME organisations secure share of £9.5m National Lottery funding
205 community organisations led by, or that support, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities have received a share of £9.5million of National Lottery funding to help recover from the impacts of the Covid-19...