Local community partnerships secure King's Civic Challenge funding at Grand Final

Nine winning projects, co-created by teams of students, staff, alumni and community partners from King’s neighbouring boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster, have received funding to make their ideas a reality.

Supporting people with dementia in south London to create short plays and using African wellness techniques to help local people overcome COVID-19 are some of the original ideas developed by teams of students, staff, and local communities that were awarded kick-starter funding at the King’s Civic Challenge Grand Final.

Nine projects were awarded funding, with each community partner receiving £5,000 alongside a package of evaluation and support.

This year’s King’s Civic Challenge teams submitted written proposals and video pitches to a panel of judges from King’s and our local communities.

Introducing the event, Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice Principal & Vice President (London) offered her congratulations to all 21 teams of finalists;

“It’s an understatement to say that this has been a year like no other. We’ve all felt the impact of the pandemic on us as people, and we’ve seen the impact it’s had on communities and the city around us. This makes King’s Civic Challenge, and the energy, the commitment and the inspiration of this year’s Challenge teams, more vital than ever.” – Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice Principal & Vice President (London).

Four core Civic Challenge awards align with the mutual priorities King’s identified in partnership with our local boroughs: health and wellbeing, education and attainment, business and enterprise and community resilience.

This year, four additional projects aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) each receive £5,000, made possible by a unique contract between King’s and furniture supplier SouthernsBroadstock.

As part of King’s aim to nurture and enhance our cultural community, one of the prizes was awarded to a cultural project, and another award recognises projects that connect arts and health to benefit local communities.

For details of all of the King’s Civic Challenge winners 2020/21 click here