Previous phases: democratic participation grants programme

The Greater London Authority (GLA) democratic participation grants programme has evolved significantly since its launch in 2023, adapting to meet changing community needs and:

  • increasing democratic participation
  • increasing civic involvement
  • improving accessibility

Phase 2 (August 2023 - February 2024)

Phase 2 provided total grant funding of £556,900, and an additional £27,000 accessibility support fund. Grants between £25,000 and £50,000 supported 15 equity-led organisations to deliver targeted democratic participation initiatives.

Focus and priorities

Total grant funding: £556,900. 

Number of projects: 15. 

The programme concentrated on:

  • raising awareness of voting system changes
  • supporting communities to access appropriate voter identification
  • building sustainable democratic engagement
  • developing community capacity

Key achievements

Phase 2 projects:

  • supported 2,900 people with voter registration
  • assisted 125 people with Voter Authority Certificate applications
  • helped 250 people to confirm they had valid photo ID
  • increased democratic engagement by 80 per cent
  • helped to increase understanding of Voter ID among the 84 per cent of engaged participants
  • helped 56 per cent of people to increase a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood and 60 per cent in London

Funded projects

Age UK Westminster and Age UK Kensington & Chelsea

Delivered a joint campaign, raising awareness among older Londoners through in-person engagement and information sent by post across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hillingdon and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Bulgarian Centre for Social Integration and Culture

Provided outreach and support for Bulgarian Londoners, including Bulgarian Roma communities, in Haringey and Enfield through schools, community centres, libraries and cultural events.

Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK

Worked with six Latin American led partners including lead partner Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation (IRMO) to deliver multilingual support across partner sites for London's Latin American communities, including resources in Spanish and Portuguese.

Disability Action Haringey

Worked with partners Inclusion Barnet, Camden Action Disability, Disability Action in Islington, Ruils in Richmond and Inclusion London to provide accessible information and support for D/deaf and disabled communities.

East European Resource Centre

Supported Romanian, Polish and other Eastern European Londoners through targeted outreach and London-wide social media campaigns.

Faiths Forum for London

Engaged diverse faith communities through a network of community champions at places of worship including Black-led churches,mosques, gurdwaras and synagogues and faith leaders, creating culturally specific resources and running engagement events.

LGBT HERO

Worked in partnership with the LGBT Consortium to deliver  outreach focusing on trans and non-binary Londoners, Black, South Asian and minority ethnic and younger LGBTQ+ communities and provided key voting information via  their Voter ID hub.

Henna Asian Women's Group

Organised multilingual workshops and community events for South Asian communities in Camden.

New Europeans UK

Developed multilingual resources and support for European Londoners, including specific support for EU citizens of Somali and Albanian origin, and Roma communities.

Partnership for Young London

Supported care-experienced young people through borough-based Children in Care Councils and participation leads in boroughs.

The Politics Project

Engaged young people aged 16-24 through workshops in schools and youth settings across London. Training and resources for schools were developed and delivered in schools and supported youth practitioners to discuss political literacy and access to democratic rights with young Londoners in an impartial, engaging way. 

Refugee Workers Cultural Association

Provided support for Kurdish and Turkish communities in Haringey through workshops and digital campaigns.

Royal Association for Deaf people

Created BSL resources and provided 1-to-1 support for D/deaf Londoners.

Southwark Travellers Action Group

Delivered face-to-face workshops and support for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities across London.

Voice4Change England

Supported Black and minority ethnic community groups through workshops and specialist media engagement. 

Phase 1 (January - March 2023)

Phase 1 provided total grant funding of £129,000 with an additional £5,000 accessibility support fund, supporting 9 organisations with grants between £10,000 and £15,000.

Focus and priorities

Total grant funding: £129,000.

Number of projects: 9.

Phase 1 focused specifically on:

  • supporting communities most affected by new voter identification requirements
  • helping to understand the barriers to democratic participation

Key achievements

The first phase:

  • reached over 143,000 under-represented and under-registered Londoners via in-person and online events, newsletters, mailing lists and calls
  • saw 6,900 Londoners attend144  in-person awareness-raising events and 5,900 attended 21 online sessions
  • helped to increase a sense of neighbourhood belonging among 49 per cent of those surveyed
  • saw 51 per cent of respondents said they felt an increased sense of belonging in London
  • saw 8 in 9 projects reporting 60 per cent of participants were ready to use their voice to vote (with 6 projects reporting 85 per cent of higher)

Funded projects

British Deaf Association

Delivered BSL information sessions in 9 London boroughs, across London via online live stream and created accessible voting information resources.

Bulgarian Centre for Social Integration and Culture

Developed materials and support for Bulgarian Londoners in Enfield, including Bulgarian Roma communities.

Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK

Worked with six Latin American led partners including lead partner Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation (IRMO) to deliver multilingual support and resources (Spanish and Portuguese) across 6 community centres in 5 London boroughs.

Disability Action Haringey

Worked with Disability Action Islington to provide accessible information and support in Haringey, Islington and Hackney, and a London-wide social media awareness campaign (working with Inclusion London).

LGBT HERO

Worked with LGBT Consortium to deliver social media campaigns and support for LGBTQ+ Londoners, focusing on trans and non-binary communities.

Visit LGBT Hero's website

Henna Asian Women's Group

Provided multilingual information sessions (including Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and Pashto) and support for South Asian communities. Videos were also produced and promoted on social media to help community members complete forms for Voter ID. 

The Romanian and Eastern European Hub

Delivered a social media campaign, outreach sessions and support for Romanian Londoners, including Romanian Roma communities.

The Traveller Movement

Created resources and delivered support for Roma, Gypsy, and Traveller communities across London.

Voice4Change England

Developed social media campaign for London, encouraging Black and minority ethnic communities to vote. Workshops were also held to educate community members on democratic participation.