For 35 years, the East End Community Foundation has been at the heart of charitable giving, driving meaningful social change for the people of the East End. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, we’ve helped build stronger communities, tackle hardship, and create opportunities where they’re needed most.
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35 years of East End Community Foundation
1990: We were established by the London Docklands Development Corporation as its forward strategy for community investment.
1996: We established a Disaster Appeal to support our residents affected by the IRA bomb on the Isle of Dogs. We raised over £50,000 to fund a range of requested services from counselling to day trips.
1998: We were gifted an endowment of £1.089 million by the London Docklands Development Corporation to support ongoing community investment as part of its exit strategy from the area, as well as a further £7 million in flow-through funds for named community initiatives. This was the same year we also set up our first Donor Advised Fund for Canary Wharf Group to support primary school education.
1999: We became one the first community organisation to lead a Single Regeneration Budget contract from central Government. We also revitalised The Workhouse Community Leisure Facility in Poplar by providing improved sports facilities for residents.
2002: We undertook our first community baseline survey, revealing that 80% of children in Blackwall (Tower Hamlets) lived in low-income households, helping us to focus our grantmaking on child poverty and education.
2006: Having actively lobbied the London Borough of Tower Hamlets we entered into a landmark agreement securing more than £3.6 million of Section 106 to invest in community and social initiatives that mitigated against significant regeneration initiatives on the Isle of Dogs. This year we also established our first Christmas Food Bag Appeal, supporting 300 isolated elders.
2012: We consolidated our strength and reach as a grant maker by merging with St Katharine and Shadwell Trust, our sister organisation also established by the London Docklands Development Corporation.
2013: Along with other community foundations across the UK we partnered with the Government on an endowment match incentive scheme known as Community First. EECF secured £1.5 million in Government funding to grow our community investment endowments for Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham and the City of London.
2014: We published our first Vital Signs report, bringing together key statistics and local voices to offer a “community health check” for the East End. That same year, we also launched our place-based giving initiatives, Hackney Giving and Newham Giving, enabling local residents and businesses to pool resources to support grassroots projects.
2023: We stepped in to support the London Borough of Tower Hamlets deliver multiple community grant funds totalling £734,000, reaching 45,000 local residents in need. We managed the entire process, from promoting the funds to providing quarterly updates and year-end impact reports.
Talk to us about how you can help
Ready to make a difference? Whether you’re a company, a donor or an individual, we’d love your support. Get in touch with our Development Officer at shakil.ahmed@eastendcf.org today to talk about how you can help. Together, we can shape an even brighter future for the East End.
