As the UK marks five years since the first Covid-19 lockdown, John Lyon’s Charity, London’s leading independent Children and Young People funder, lays bare the scale of its emergency response and unwavering commitment to the Children and Young People (CYP) sector. Faced with the catastrophic impact of the pandemic, the Charity took an unprecedented step—allocating £22 million from its endowment over six years to shield vital grassroots organisations from collapse. This is in addition to the Charity’s annual grant-giving of £12 million.
To date, over £18 million has been deployed, with the final £4 million set to be committed within the next year. It was the Charity’s mission to provide long-term funding for vulnerable organisations to ensure they survive the eye of the Covid storm.
From the outset of the crisis, John Lyon’s Charity moved decisively. In April 2020, it became one of the first funders to step up, pledging £1 million to the London Community Response Fund, coordinated by London Funders, to keep critical services afloat during lockdown. But this was just the beginning.
Recognising the need for a long-term strategic vision, John Lyon’s Charity launched the Home-School-Community (HSC) initiative in 2021, that was designed to help sustain grassroots organisations and future-proof the CYP sector against mounting challenges. This initiative has been invaluable, enabling organisations not just to survive but to evolve, innovate, and continue supporting vulnerable children and young people in a post-pandemic landscape.
“Covid-19 changed the world overnight, and the impact on the CYP voluntary sector was brutal,” said Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity. “We knew that if we didn’t act fast, critical services would vanish. Within weeks, we committed £1 million in emergency funding to stabilise the sector. But we also knew short-term fixes weren’t enough—we had to take a long-term view to safeguard these essential organisations for years to come.”
The Home-School-Community initiative is helping to keep youth centres open, is supporting children struggling with education and helping families crushed by the Cost-of-Living crisis; by designing a very thorough programme incorporating not only recovery but innovation, John Lyon’s Charity has gone beyond emergency relief, securing a sustainable future for the sector.
Niamh Graham, Deputy CEO of Young K&C said: “Off the back of this HSC funding, we’ve seen smaller organisations being able to give better support to their staff, being able to provide more training, and ultimately, we’re seeing better results for children and young people. We are aware of the challenges that our organisations face when accessing bigger funds, so we really see this as a stepping stone for them to become more confident and drive their organisations further forward.”
Five years on, the Charity now enters the final phase of its six-year Covid-19 response strategy and its focus still remains clear: ensuring the CYP sector is not only protected but strengthened for the future. John Lyon’s Charity is determined to keep pushing forward, evolving its grant-giving strategy to safeguard London’s most vulnerable children and young people—now and for generations to come.
As we enter the final phase of our Covid-19 response, we urge organisations to connect with us, apply for grants, and be part of this collective effort to safeguard London’s young people. To find out more about the Charity’s funding opportunities, please visit www.jlc.london.