Rosa is proud to announce the first round of specialist women’s organisations who will receive grants from our Covid-19 Response Fund (Small Grants). This fund aims to support the immediate needs of specialist women’s organisations who often miss out on funding to more mainstream and gender-neutral organisations. The following 25 organisations were awarded grants totalling £187,084.
The Covid-19 restrictions have led to a surge in violence against women and girls leaving many frontline women’s organisations struggling to meet increased need. Approximately half of all round one grants were made to organisations working to safeguard vulnerable women affected by the pandemic. Of these 12 organisations, five are providing critical support services for survivors of gender-based violence.
Economic Justice
Fourth Action is a small ‘by and for’ women’s community organisation with a 10-year track record in addressing gender inequality in rural north Northumberland, through innovative project work, advocacy and training. Their grant will increase staff time to develop online wellbeing and learning resources, fund staff work mobile phones, and two data-enabled tablets for women with limited to support.
The Root MHSF CIC provides a year-long sewing and designing course that leads to employment for women with limited English language, survivors of domestic abuse, and those with disabilities. The grant will enable the group to continue its sewing and design courses, to disadvantaged women, most of whom are from BAME communities. Follow on Instagram.
In London’s East End, social enterprise and community partner Tiffinwalli creates flexible employment and training opportunities in the catering industry. The grant will enable this group to respond to the Covid-19 crisis by transforming its previous offer of hands-on catering training to disadvantaged women into a digital platform. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
Health and Wellbeing
Baby Basics provides essential baby and toddler equipment to vulnerable women – including teenage mums, women seeking asylum, and women fleeing domestic abuse and trafficking. Since March, the team has received a 360% increase in demand for baby equipment from vulnerable women in its Sheffield community. This grant will help to cover the increased demand and fund the rent for additional storage space. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
Craft Collective is a community crafting hub based in the rural Welsh village of Limavady. The group offers low-cost arts and crafts classes to women of all ages, developing their skills and helping to beat social isolation. This grant will help the team to cover increased equipment costs, as well as fund the rent for additional storage space needed to safely accommodate equipment. Join them on Facebook.
Transcending racial, religious, linguistic and cultural issues for Asian women is central to the work of Dostiyo Asian Women and Girls Organisation. The team promotes self-help, advocacy and increases access to information and services for women and their families. Their grant will fund a helpline for women experiencing domestic abuse and/or mental ill-health, addressing a gap in provision due to Covid-19.
In Great Yarmouth, Feathers Futures provides a non-judgemental space that empowers women to make positive choices about their futures. The team offers resources, advice, and workshops in confidence-building, resilience, creative writing, and more. This grant will help to increase staff hours to manage the increased numbers of referrals, and enable the team to deliver online groups. Follow on Twitter, and see its website.
Belfast-based Giving Life Opportunities to Women (GLOW) is a cross-community organisation delivering personal development, mental health and wellbeing programmes to disadvantaged women and girls in the city’s most deprived communities. Funding will help to hire an IT support person to oversee GLOW’s online programmes. Follow on Twitter, and visit their website.
By providing emotional, community and holistic care, Lighthouse supports women who face challenging circumstances including financial instability, housing difficulties, social isolation and emotional trauma. Their grant will fund packages containing food and household items to 50 women/mothers and their children to help them through Covid-19.
For 22 years, Winchester Pregnancy Crisis Centre has provided free, non-directive counselling for women who are facing a crisis pregnancy or struggling following a miscarriage, stillbirth or termination. Their grant will fund counselling services to women who are facing a crisis pregnancy, or struggling following a miscarriage, stillbirth or termination. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
Leadership and Representation
Grassroots charity BelEve supports young women and girls with mentoring, workshops and events in and around Lewisham. Over the last seven years the team has worked with 5,000+ girls, supporting them to finish school with good GCSEs and developing their social and emotional skills. This grant will fund increased staffing for online mental health workshops, employability workshops and fitness sessions. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
For disadvantaged and minority ethnic women in Dudley, Diyya Project provides vital access to services that improve quality of life – including advice and guidance, education and training, sports, and health and wellbeing activities. This grant will retrospectively fund costs that Diyya Project incurred as a result of Covid-19 due to changing the way they work and bringing services online. Join them on Facebook.
Since 2013, Goldstar Creative Marketing has been providing soft-skills training that enables financially disadvantaged young women to learn skills that support their employment prospects. This grant will fund soft-skills training to up-skill Orthodox Jewish women and young girls (17+) from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
Safety
Manchester-based outreach service Angels of Hope for Women provides emergency essentials for women and girls who’ve experienced domestic abuse. Many are migrant and asylum-seeking women, and most are experiencing increased financial hardship due to the pandemic. This grant will help to provide emergency essentials for migrant and asylum seeking women. Follow on Twitter.
From a 14-bedroom facility in Birmingham, the team at Gilgal provides emergency accommodation, support and rehabilitation for women and children made homeless through fleeing domestic abuse. The grant will allow Gilgal to better support staff within the refuge and working from home, maximise their capacity to meet demand in response to Covid-19. Follow on Twitter.
In Greater Manchester, Heart and Parcel brings together women from migrant communities to develop their English language (ESOL) and communication skills by cooking dishes from around the world, and sharing recipes, stories, experiences and connections. This grant will extend live-streamed creative ESOL and cooking classes for migrant women in Manchester to September. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
The Lesbian Immigration Support Group works with lesbian and bisexual asylum seekers and refugees by working one-to-one on immigration claims, providing moral support, fundraising for personal costs, and signposting to legal and LGBTQI services. Their grant will provide food and phone vouchers to 35 women, as well as a social event post-Covid. Follow on Twitter.
For the past 13 years Mother and Child Welfare Organisation has been supporting mums and children, mainly from Somali backgrounds, who live in poverty in West London. They address issues including domestic abuse, addiction, and single parenthood. This grant will provide emergency essentials and wellbeing support for women from Black and minoritised communities. Follow on Twitter.
The Motherhood Plan Community Interest Company protects and supports women who are the victims of pregnancy or maternity discrimination. They amplify women’s voices and campaign for legislative change. The grant will fund the Operations Manager for four months to help sustain the organisation’s operations against a backdrop of reduced income streams (events) and increased demand maternity rights advice and legal support during C19. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
The Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation is an independent volunteer-led charity which aims to increase the involvement in public life of Muslim women and girls through sport without compromising religious or cultural value. This grant will support the team to develop an online mental health sports mentoring course for Muslim women and girls. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
Grassroots community organisation Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network ensures Muslim women in Nottingham have their voices heard and their needs met. The team works to bridge the gap between community members and frontline professionals and policymakers. Funding will double the hours of the team’s Outreach Worker in response to increased requests for support. Follow on Twitter, visit the website.
The team at Rivers LPC supports women struggling to access mainstream services due to health or economic issues and language barriers. Its volunteers deliver English language sessions, dispense advice and guidance, and work to boost wellbeing. This grant will enable Rivers LPC to deliver an emergency response service in Crawley to support local vulnerable women and families. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
Sandwell African Women’s Association (SAWA) provides advice and support, community development, and health advocacy to African refugee women and children across Sandwell, Birmingham, Walsall, Dudley and Wolverhampton. With this funding, SAWA will be able to provide emergency practical support to elderly BME women self-isolating due to Covid-19.
Working in partnership with hostels and day centres across London, Street Talk provides psychotherapy, art therapy, group therapy, advocacy and support to some of the capital’s most marginalised groups. The grant will enable the organisation to increase its capacity in order to be able to respond to additional phone calls and requests. Follow on Twitter, and visit the website.
From Scotland, Time to Heal provides holistic support for survivors of all forms of violence and abuse, specifically women and girls from minority ethnic groups. They provide refuge space, education and training, counselling, legal aid, and more. This grant will allow the organisation to increase capacity employing additional staff for a rise in cases of domestic abuse directly relating to Covid-19. Visit the website.