Cripplegate Foundation

🎉 Welcome to Small Charity Week! 🎉 This #SmallCharityWeek, we’re sharing insights through our new blogs and articles, and shining a spotlight on some incredible local charities bringing joy, support, and connection to our community. 💙 We will hear stories from groups funded by both Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving including: 🔸 Friends of Pooles Park 🔸 The Toy Project 🔸 Say It Loud Club 🔸 Community Language Support Services (CLSS) Read our new intro blog by Programmes Director Anne Shewring, discussing the impact and challenges of small charities and the vital role of funders like Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving. 🔗 Find the links in our comments ⬇️ 📸 Cover image (clockwise): Friends of Pooles Park, Toy Project, All Change, The Stuart Low Trust. #SmallCharityWeek #SmallCharitiesWeek #SmallCharityWeek2024 #LoveYourSmallCharity #Islington #IncredibleIslington #SmallbutMighty

What’s your favourite place in Islington? Share yours! Whether it’s a vibrant community centre, a scenic park, or a historical landmark, get involved in the Mapping Islington project! 📍🗺️ This summer, Islington Giving will be spotlighting all the places that make our borough special like this creative contribution from the lovely Ruth, one of Islington Giving Alumni Golden Grant Makers. Your contribution will also go towards a vibrant, community-driven map of Islington. For more details visit the Islington Giving website > Get Involved > Mapping Islington section and follow #MappingIslington. #Islington #FavouritePlace #CulpepperGardens #CommunityConnection #LoveParksWeek #Creativity #IslingtonParks #IslingtonLondon

Some of our team recently visited our funded group, Healthy Minds Healthy Bods, to connect with local residents and explore their thoughts, experiences, and funding priorities for our new Community Grant Makers resident-led panel. One resident and project participant shared, “Islington feels like home,” highlighting how the outings are “sociable” and a great way to “support the group.” Another shared, “It (the project) helps with mental health: Sense of community and purpose,” and many appreciated the “nice people to talk to” and the “good discipline.” We also heard first-hand about the importance of mental health support in Islington.💜 A huge thanks to Leah (@kellman22), a former Young Grant Maker and now Islington Giving Alumni member, for gathering these insights! Leah said: “It was great to meet the incredible people behind these great charities and it was really nice to see how it benefits a lot of people in the community.” Healthy Minds Healthy Bods, which is funded by both Islington Giving and our parent charity Cripplegate Foundation, said: “We loved having you along. Thanks so much for all your support. We would not be here without you believing in us all this time." 🙏🏼 Watch this space for more updates on our #IslingtonGivingAlumni and upcoming Community Grant Makers panel! #CommunityGrantMakers #ResidentLedPanel #Islington #ParticipatoryGrantmaking #SharingPower #ShiftingPower #Leadership #Funding

Meet Anna-Marie! 👋🏼 Anna-Marie Tomm joined the Board in July 2024 as an Advisor. She formerly lived in Islington and is an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and data scientist in the technology team for a hedge fund. Anna-Marie has volunteer experience including employee volunteering through ELBA (who work with us on the BIG Alliance), mentoring other minoritised female students in STEM, and mentoring refugee students. She also holds a BSc in Econometrics from Ludwig Maximilian’s University Munich. Additionally, she holds two MSc degrees from HULT Business School (MSc International Business & MSc in Business Analytics). We look forward to working with Anna-Marie to continue making a positive impact in Islington! 💫 #Governors #Trustees #Islington #Leadership #Announcement #MeetTheTrustees #MeetTheGovernors

Meet Fiona! 👋🏼 Fiona Au joined our Board of Governors in July 2024, and is a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. With extensive experience in Multi Asset portfolio implementation at Aviva Investors and AXA Investment Managers, Fiona is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Accountant. Fiona has spent over 20 years serving as a trustee and volunteer with the Islington Chinese Association. Passionate about reducing inequality, Fiona is involved in Aviva Investors Ethnicity Working Group and various mentorship programmes, including 30% Club Mission INCLUDE and CFA UK Mentoring, to support career development. We look forward to working with Fiona and our new governors to continue making a positive impact in Islington! 💫 Find out more about our Board via the link in the comments ⬇️ #Governors #Trustees #Islington #Leadership #Announcement #MeetTheTrustees #MeetTheGovernors

A fantastic evening of art and connection! 🎨🖌️💜 We invited our supporters and governors to join us at the Artbox London Pop-Up Gallery, to enjoy the incredible artworks, learn more about one of our funded partners, and help raise the visibility of artists with learning disabilities and autistic artists. 👨🏽🎨 Artbox run an art studio on the Bemerton Estate where artists with learning disabilities and autistic artists come together to explore art, build friendships, and learn new skills. 🙌🏽 They are a long-standing community partner of Islington Giving and our parent charity Cripplegate Foundation, and are currently hosting a pop-up gallery and workshop at Cripplegate’s Whitecross street building. 🤩 You can drop by to view the exhibition at 167 Whitecross Street Tuesdays-Fridays 12pm-6pm. Join us in supporting and raising visibility for these talented artists. 🙏🏼 #Artbox #IslingtonGiving #CommunityArt #InclusiveArt #SupportLocalArtists #CripplegateFoundation #PartnershipWorking #ThankYou #AppreciationPost

Meet Micky Khurana! 👋🏼 Micky joined the Board of Governors in July 2024, and is a member of the Programme Committee. Micky is a long-term Islington resident with a deep passion for addressing local inequality. As a qualified chartered accountant, he has extensive experience in corporate governance, ethics, and compliance, having worked with leading organisations such as Meta and Diageo. His professional background spans finance and corporate governance roles across the media, consumer goods, and technology sectors. Micky is actively involved in the community. He serves as a trustee of Hanley Crouch Community Association/Brickworks, the Mayor of Islington’s current charity of the year. His commitment to both his professional and charitable work underscores his dedication to making a positive impact in Islington. We are looking forward to working with Micky to continue making a positive impact in Islington! Find out more about our Board via the link in the comments ⬇️ #Governors #Trustees #Islington #Leadership #Announcement #MeetTheTrustees #MeetTheGovernors

At Cripplegate Foundation, we are passionate about supporting the diverse communities of Islington. Last week we had the privilege of hosting a meeting to reconnect with some of our incredible grantees from our funding programme for groups led by and for marginalised groups in Islington. “One of the highlights of our role at Cripplegate Foundation (apart from funding brilliant local projects) is bringing funded groups together to share and learn from each other. The conversations and insights are so rich and new connections help to bring us all much closer.” - Lisa, Director of Fundraising and Communications “This grant has really helped to provide stability for our organisation and created a greater sense of community for the women we support. A real sense of sisterhood.” ~ Funded group “As a result of this core, longer term [Cripplegate] funding we have been able to double the number of clients we can support.” ~ Funded group Thank you to all the groups who joined us and shared their insights and experiences. We look forward to continuing our support and seeing more impactful work in Islington. 💜   Find out more about our funded groups / community partners and read the full story here: 🔗 https://shorturl.at/wodo4 #Funding #Islington #Impact #Philanthropy #Leadership #ThoughtLeadership #LivedExperiences

Insightful article by Financial Times on achieving large scale social change by pooling capital and fostering better collaboration among funders / donors. At Islington Giving, we believe in the power of pooled funds to drive social impact in our community. By uniting expertise and resources, we empower small grassroots organisations to make a big impact in #Islington. Our collaborative approach allows us to access vital funds and enable other funders to innovate and take risks. Together, we can address systemic challenges and build a stronger, more resilient community. 💜 A heartfelt thank you to our incredible collaborative partners: London Funders, Macquarie Group, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Peabody, City Bridge Foundation, Cloudesley, Business Design Centre and Cripplegate Foundation. We couldn’t do it without you! 🙏 Thanks to Financial Times for highlighting this approach to philanthropy. See our comments to find out more about working with us, case studies and more! #FunderCollaboration #CommunityImpact #Islington #Philanthropy #PhilanthropicFunds #SocialImpact #PhilanthropyMatters

Curious about the hype around pole fitness? 🤸🏽♂️ This increasingly popular workout is a game-changer, combining strength training, cardio, and flexibility. Recognised as an official sport in 2017 and popularised by celebs and social media alike, it's an incredible way to boost both physical and mental health. “What I didn't realise is the incredible boost the exercise would have on my mental health, emotional well-being, and self-confidence... In a time when I was gripped with post-heartache melancholia and really struggling with my self-worth, pole helped me reconnect to myself in a warm, encouraging, and supportive environment.” A nice article featuring She Can Empower, one of our Make It Happen and now Islington Council Cripplegate Foundation Community Chest funded projects and success stories: 🔗 https://shorturl.at/uB6NC #MakeItHappen #SuccessStory #Impact #Islington #ProjectSpotlight #MondayMotivation