Black History set for greater celebration, thanks to Sovereign
Sovereign Housing Association has joined the Black History Month 365 Fund which provides grants of up to £500 for events, activities and projects which celebrate Black History.
The aim of the fund is to help bring communities together to mark and celebrate our shared history, promote the awareness and knowledge of Black history, and celebrate the achievements and contributions from individuals of African and Caribbean heritage.
The fund is primarily to support local voluntary and community organisations to deliver small projects within our neighbourhoods, not just for October but throughout the year with frequent funding opportunities.
Originally launched by A2 Dominion Housing Group in partnership with Catalyst Housing, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Network Homes, the fund offers grants of up to £500 for events, activities and projects celebrating Black History through funding rounds.
This year, Sovereign has joined the partnership by contributing £4,000 into the pot, making the total pot £18,000 for 2022-23.
A2 Dominion Housing Group administer the fund and are responsible for all payments while Sovereign are responsible for advertising the fund with community partners and are involved in the awarding panel.
Those applying must be able to demonstrate how their project, initiative or activity will achieve one or more of the following:
- Bring communities together to mark and celebrate our shared history
- Promote the awareness and knowledge of Black history
- Celebrate the achievements and contributions from individuals of African and Caribbean heritage
- Engage A2Dominion, Catalyst, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, Network Homes and Sovereign communities and residents in Black history.
Funding has previously been awarded to groups which hosted workshops to celebrate African music, and a community event which promoted the history of the famous Notting Hill Carnival.
The Black History Month 365 Fund opens for the latest round of applications on 1 September and closes on 29 September 2022. Payments will be made to successful community partners from 24 October.
Organisations can obtain an application form by emailing community.development@sovereign.org.uk;. Completed application forms should then be submitted via email to A2 Dominion at community.investment@a2dominion.co.uk
Marisa Fletcher-Patrick, Partnership and Fundraising Project Manager at A2Dominion said: “Celebrating black culture should not just be in October but all year round. We've created the Black History Month 365 grant programme in partnership with other housing associations to support our community activities and originations throughout the year.
“We are passionate about celebrating and learning about the fantastic diverse cultures we all work with. It's essential to keep enriching our communities, and through this fund, we have been able to fund some fantastic projects, and we hope to continue to do so in collaboration with other housing associations growing the participant to support more community groups and organisations.”
Jerome Williams, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Sovereign said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion is vitally important to us and it’s a thread which runs through our corporate ambitions and values.
“We continually strive to be a force for change in the sector and are delighted to be part-funding the Black History Month 365 project - which will celebrate Black history and the fantastic achievements of many individuals with African and Caribbean heritage.”
