Euston Voices Researchers

The Good Life Euston is a participatory partnership with Camden Giving, the London Borough of Camden, Lendlease, the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) and Euston’s residents - Euston Voices Researchers - to develop a new wellbeing index for the Euston Area.

The Euston Voices Researchers have identified what the local priorities are for their community, and have worked on defining a set of measures to be used to shape tangible changes in their neighbourhood to track the impact of major changes that are planned for Euston over the coming 20-30 years. 

Camden Covid-19 Charity Fund

The COVID-19 Charity Fund was created due to the extraordinary demands that charities, social enterprises and community groups faced because of the crisis. Round 1 of the fund focussed on immediate financial support, food bank and emergency response. Round 2 then focussed on continuing this financial support, helping to tackle digital poverty and supporting projects with proven track records of delivering services for BAME communities.

Round 1

Within 24 hours of launching the fund, we were able to convene a diverse group of 7 Camden residents to sit on an emergency fund panel and decide which applicants would receive funding. Read about the process we followed in the summary report below.

Round 2

Round 2 then focussed on continuing this financial support, helping to tackle digital poverty and supporting projects with proven track records of delivering services for BAME communities. Read how the panel decided where funds be allocated in the summary report below.

Following both rounds 1 and 2 of the COVID-19 fund we conducted a review into Participatory Giving during a pandemic. This report, written and coordinated by two volunteers, shines a light on the speed of funding we were able to provide, the importance of community panelists making funding decisions and the enhanced inequalities many people in Camden now face.

Kings Cross Fund

Camden Giving's KX Fund existed due to a partnership between King's Cross Limited Partnership (KCCLP), the London Borough of Camden and Camden Giving.The aim of the fund was to ensure that those who live, work and play in the Borough of Camden benefit from changes to the local area. The KX Fund aimed to improve social cohesion and quality and access to natural environments.

Communities Together Fund

Our Communities Together Fund was in partnership with Volunteer Centre Camden and funded by the London Borough of Camden’s ‘We make Camden’ initiative. The fund supported Camden organisations and citizens to celebrate diversity and unite our communities.

Panel+ (A Camden Giving Programme)

As a participatory funder, we prioritise shifting power to a varied range of voices, through supporting local residents to make decisions on how we invest funding, because people who are surviving local inequalities are the ones we should look to for the solutions.

Panel+ formed as a programme following interest by panel members for more support, training & knowledge of the funding sector. We were fortunate to receive an unrestricted grant from The London Community Foundation for the Panel+ programme, allowing us to continue evolving new approaches to power-shifts in grant-making. For more details on the programme and to read our recommendations for how and why to shift power in this way, read the full report below.

Youth Employment Programme

We worked with Euston Town, Coram’s Fields, Camden’s Youth Offending Team, 3 Camden Businesses and Camden young people to co-create a pilot Youth Employment Programme that supported 3 residents aged 16-25 into paid work placements. Camden Giving employed and paid the London Living Wage for the duration of their placements. Alongside this they accessed paid pastoral support through a dedicated youth worker at Coram’s Fields and weekly wraparound support sessions; ensuring their wellbeing was prioritised and supported alongside their work placements. To read the full report click on the link below.

Inclusive Community Fund

Our Inclusive Community Fund included a partnership with Camden Disability Action, funded by the London Borough of Camden’s Community Impacts programme. The programme put people with disabilities at the heart of the decisions, empowering them to make informed choices on which projects to fund based on their own experiences.

HS2 Camden Fund

The HS2 Camden Fund existed to support Camden communities during the construction of the high-speed railway. The fund aimed to create a sense of place in Camden by supporting projects that bring people together, improves physical and mental health and creates a stronger voluntary and community sector.

Social Action Fund

The Social Action Fund builds on the success of the 2019 Communities Together Fund, which was a partnership with Volunteer Centre Camden and funded by the London Borough of Camden’s ‘We Make Camden’ initiative. In 2019 ten Camden residents were at the heart of the decision-making and they funded 54 projects that brought together 14,000 residents through activities that celebrated the differences and diversity of groups and communities in Camden.

In July and November 2020 another panel of 13 Camden residents awarded small grants to projects in Camden that met one or more of the following aims:

1) increase social action

2) support community cohesion

3) create community resilience