Case Studies

The building houses other charitable organisations that run computer lessons, healthy living sessions and after school programmes for socially disadvantaged families, old and young people.

In 2013, the building needed urgent improvement and refurbishment work due to pressure of use. They roofing over the main hall has been leaking profusely, rendering the centre unusable when rain falls. The centre was in a state of despair and the charity needed somebody to help it raise substantial funding to make the building fit for purpose again, having tried unsuccessfully to make an application to the Big Lottery Fund.

It was at this stage that, upon recommendation, the management of Unity Centre of South London approached me at Charity Grants HQ to help them raise funds to refurbish and rehabilitate the building. I set to work on this project instantly.

I had series of meetings with the Unity Centre building committee to establish the work that is involved.

The whole building was be refurbished with windows and doors double- glazed
Re-fitting of the kitchen and installing facilities for wider community use
Overhauling, renovation and redecoration of toilet facilities in the building
Re-roofing of the hall area to prevent water leakage
Painting of the whole building including the main hall
Structural adjustments to the entrance of the building

Together we secured and examined quotations, talked to builders and selected one to do the work involved.

I instantly started work conducting comprehensive and extensive research for capital funding from trusts and foundations in the United Kingdom. I developed a case for support which was extensively discussed and agreed upon by the management committee and talked to a few funders about the place of this building in the life of the community.

Through dedication and hard work, Charity Grants HQ was successful in securing £35,000 for the renovation and refurbishment work on the building and £4,200 for facilities for the kitchen. I also helped to secure another £42,000 for the charity to hire a manager to run the building.

The building has come back to its days of glory and once again has become a community hub, benefiting many local groups, people of all ages, social and cultural backgrounds in the South of London for meetings, events and social gatherings each day and week of the year.

Activities that now go on at the centre include computer literacy classes for elderly people 65+, cultural day celebrations, marriage ceremonies and after school programmes. There are refurbished offices for other charitable organisations to hire as offices.

“Thank you Elisha for helping us to come alive again. You’ve done so well for us. We don’t know what we would have done without you” Dr. Patience Adjin-Tettey, Director at the Unity Centre

n summer of 2013, Havering Asian Social and Welfare Association approached Charity Grants HQ to help them in preparing a Big Lottery Fund Continuation funding to support further development of their Connecting Communities Project in Havering.

The grant was to help the HASWA continue the good work it’s been doing in bridging the gap between various minority ethnic communities now resettling in Havering

HASWA requested for a total grant value of £242,277 for 3 years from the Big Lottery Fund with the organisation providing £22,500 in match funding.

This was the second time that I have worked with HASWA, so I know the good work the organisation is doing in the area. I’ve previously helped the organisation to successfully obtain funding in 2015 to organise healthy living and exercise classes for socially disadvantaged people in the Hornchurch area of Havering.

Need For Funding

The reason for seeking continuing grants is to continue with the development of this project to improve cohesion, mental health and physical well-being predominantly for people of Asian origin, but also of the wider ethnic minority backgrounds in the London borough of Havering and barking and Dagenham.

The charitable company has been in existence since 1998. The community it serves is getting diverse over the years and majority are getting older and older and miss involvement in community activities.

Long term working in the community has revealed hosts of women fleeing domestic violence, young people experiencing exclusion and older people needing support to live independently. The is the need for a project to bring people of all ages, friends and family together for advice and information, socislising and community engagement for development.

Work Done

I had series of discussion days with the trustees and staff to understand more about current issues at HASWA. I then set to work in answering the application questions. I developed the outline of the project which was discussed extensively with the trustees and project development officer.

HASWA executives guided the planning process, advising on activities and together, under my direction we identified aims, objectives, milestones and outcomes to drive the project forward.

I later developed the project proposal which clearly defines how the organisation seeks to improve on its previous three years work and how supporting this organisation could bring more benefits to the Havering community.

The end result was great. We won the grant. People in the Havering Community are the winners.

Benefits of project to the local community:

The project has been a life saver; with development expedited by grant funding. HASWA will benefit from improving community relations, integration and healthy living in the community. Staff, volunteers and board will increase their capacity as a result of this project.

With my experience and understanding of the voluntary sector, I quickly engaged with both trustees and volunteers in identifying the needs of their local communities. Together, we planned projects to support those needs, developed action plans and long term monitoring. I also helped the charity’s board members to establish key priorities. I worked with the trustee board of this and other community groups and local organisations to secure various sums of money in grant funding to help them bring their members together for community activities, health programmes and cultural events.

“Discovering Charity Grants HQ has been a life saver to my group. I will not hesitate to recommend its services wholeheartedly to others. For very little money, Elisha has been able to bring in thousands of pounds worth of grants whenever we needed support.” Isidore, former- treasurer of Togo Union.

Each of these bids succeeded and achieved a total sum of $59,000 for development work in the La Community in Accra Ghana. These were for improving science and math education in primary schools and achieving education for all girls in the community.

The funding also enabled a wider range of benefits including education awareness raising, empowerment of women’s rights, micro-enterprise schemes and primary education bursaries.

Charity Grants HQ supported the monitoring and reporting on these community programmes.