The Mayor's Fund for London is an independent, non-politically aligned charity which champions social mobility for over 40,000 young Londoners from low- income backgrounds every year. Our work raises awareness of the barriers faced by young Londoners, promotes the activities which best increases their opportunities and brings together partnerships to make a measurable impact on young Londoners' lives. The Mayor of London is our Patron.
Donate to this charity
Supporters
1Fundraisers
0WHAT WE DO
We work with young Londoners aged 4-24 years, with a focus on those from low income households who are in crisis or who are from vulnerable groups and target our interventions in schools and communities in areas of economic disadvantage.
Since 2008, we estimate that we have invested over £20m in local communities and directly supported over 200,000 children and young people across all 33 London boroughs.
So far, we have worked with over 2,200 schools, 2,250 employers, 175 community organisations and nearly 160 charities, social enterprises and local authorities.
Our Theory of Change
Underpinning both our campaigning and programme activities is our Theory of Change.
This identifies four key outcomes to improve the life-chances of young people:
Ability to maximise full potential and achieve a sustainable career
Aspiration to make the most of the potential that London has to offer
Awareness of opportunities in London and how to take advantage of them
Access to the opportunities that London has to provide
OUR PROGRAMMES
Currently, there are at least 400,000 children living in households experiencing food insecurity. The Covid-19 pandemic is hugely exacerbating these issues, and these figures will likely continue to increase. Holiday food and activity programmes like Kitchen Social, a Mayor's Fund for London programme, are vital in helping to reach and support the hardest hit families.
Kitchen Social is the largest independent provider of food for children in London during the school holidays. Working with a network of community organisations across 24 boroughs, in 2021 the programme served over half a million meals. The programme gives children and young people a safe place to go during the school holidays where they can socialise, make new friends and get a free, healthy meal.
As part of the programme, Kitchen Social now also offers high quality recipe-kit boxes, called ‘Take & Make’, which encourage and support children to cook at home.Taking inspiration from the recipe kit box phenomenon – Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef – these boxes are a direct response to the Covid-19 crisis allowing us to get healthy food into homes regardless of the lockdown status. Working with the chefs and nutritionists at the Let’s Cook Project, every box contains step by step instructions and important skill training cards plus online video tutorials to build confidence in cooks of all ages. Check out our Rainbow paella Take and Make cook-a-long video with celebrity chef and Mayor's Fund ambassador, Omar Allibhoy:
The Count on Us Challenge is an exciting pan-London maths programme, working with both primary and secondary schools to engage pupils in a range of maths activities to challenge, motivate and inspire.
By combining a series of mental arithmetic and problem solving tasks, the programme aims to make maths fun and improve confidence around learning as well as improving academic attainment, ultimately improving life chances and helping young people make a positive contribution to society. Watch this video to find out how children across London are benefiting from taking part in Count on Us
Our latest research has shown that just 17% of London’s professional jobs are occupied by people from lower income backgrounds, compared to 30% nationally (One City, Two Worlds, 2020).
Our employability programme, Access Aspiration, is working to change this. Access Aspiration is designed to provide careers support and guidance for 16 –18 year old young Londoners who are making key decisions about their future careers but struggle to make links with employers.
In partnership with London’s business community, we aim to create more visibility of employment pathways by working with a range of schools and colleges to provide aspirational work placements and employer insights and help link employers to top young talent in communities they are struggling to reach. Here's an example of one of our virtual support videos - Sector Snapshots:
Creativity Works is our creative industries focused employability programme supporting 17-24 year olds who are currently not in work, education or training. Creativity Works supports young Londoners with the skills they need and access to opportunities within the sector. Around 70% of young people who complete Creativity Works move into work or further education.
The programme aims to build confidence and self belief by addressing the barriers they face in the industry and teaching young Londoners the transferable skills they need to overcome them.
As well as helping young people to access opportunities within the creative industries, the programme also inspires and motivates them to engage with broader career options. Have a look at our Creativity Works video, delivered by our partner, Media Trust:
By supporting the Mayor's Fund for London, you will help enable over 40,000 young Londoners from low income backgrounds to access food, activities, support, advice, skills and employment opportunities. Your donations will support those young people who do not have the same opportunities or access to networks as their better off peers.
90p in every £1 we raise is used to support children and young people.
We welcome gifts of all sizes; they all make a difference.
Thank you so much.
