A community fund to support women’s financial resilience

London is an incredible city, if you live and work here, if you’re a Londoner, you’ll know it. But it is also a city with the highest rates of poverty in the UK, a city of extreme inequality, of haves and have-nots. The cost-of-living crisis we are all experiencing is not being felt equally. Women are being especially hard hit.

There are over four million women and girls living in London. But their experiences in our city vary hugely. Dynamics related to poverty, race, culture, community, religion, and language mean their experiences and the challenges they face are layered, with many being marginalised, unable to access the same opportunities as others.

"Women are being pushed further into debt and poverty. We are seeing more women in need of money for food and other essentials."

Maa Shanti, women-led community organisation in Camden

Women are:

• More likely to be living in poverty – they have been disproportionately hit by the rise in cost of living, especially Black and minoritised women, disabled women, older women and lone parents.
• More likely to be in low-paid jobs – women are more than twice as likely to be in temporary work and on zero-hours contracts, worrying about unemployment and unable to make ends meet.
• More likely to have fallen behind on bills and skipped meals – they are the ‘shock absorbers of poverty’ tending to be the provider of food for their family and manage the household budget, exposing them to constant strain and anxiety.
• Experiencing unprecedented levels of abuse and violence – support services are reporting unprecedented levels of women coming forward to report abuse, with 96% reporting that the crisis is making the abuse worse.

Through our Together for London appeal we have provided food, essential items and advice to women struggling through the winter. But now longer-term support is needed to support women to build a more secure financial future for themselves.

Support for women can be found through local, small, community organisations, which women who are most excluded and feel most alienated trust and turn to. Organisations that are founded and run by ordinary but remarkable women who recognise and have often lived through the same struggle. Women who turn up every day to provide support for the women in their communities.

But these remarkable women and the vital services they provide often lack the resources they need. You can help change that.

We believe in the generosity and solidarity of Londoners. Our Women’s Fund for London will bring together people who want to give and make a difference to women in our city. We will find the best projects to support – projects, on your doorstep in London, that provide financial and employment advice, skills and training to support women’s financial resilience.