CVA supports the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Croydon start up, sustain, grow and scale impact.
Campaigning
CVA campaigned relentlessly in 2021 to oppose the planned £400,000 cuts to the Council's VCS budget and ended the year by celebrating the Council’s confirmation that such cuts were not going ahead for front line groups. 2022 is no different – our aim is to negotiate a level of investment in Croydon’s VCS that reflects its key role in supporting Croydon’s recovery and have consulted across the VCS on what matters most to the local residents and communities to produce a VCS Manifesto, for presentation to the new Mayor.
Grant distribution
CVA, BME Forum, Asian Resource Centre Croydon (ARCC) and Croydon Neighbourhood Care Association (CNCA) distributed in the region of £74,000 each to the local VCS, as part of the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities COVID vaccine champions small grant fund. The funding aimed to support VCS's existing delivery and initiate conversations about vaccine options at the same time.
This year we also distributed seed funding to 10 very local grassroots initiatives, thanks to funding from Public Health and £30,000 to Community Hubs across six localities.
Meet the Funder events
CVA co-ordinated a range of events aimed at introducing new sources of funding to local groups including online "Meet the Funder" events hosting Croydon Relief in Need, Viridor Credits, the National Lottery Community Fund and Easy Fundraising. 104 people attended learning about funding opportunities available and tips for successful applications.
Our Funding bulletins complemented such events by providing monthly information on new local commissioning opportunities, new funding streams and alternative sources of income for the VCS.
Capacity Building
Our job is to support our VCS partners – from the newest grassroots groups to the established and largest charities – to deliver high-quality, community-led services. This year we've provided personalised and one-to-one support to more than 60 groups: from fundraising to business planning, from governance to partnership working, we've strenghtened Croydon VCS in knowledge and skills.
Training
Our Training offer for voluntary sector groups has included 4 Start up sessions, for those residents wanting to set up a community group or social enterprise (in collaboration with Kingston and Richmond CVSs), 2 First Aid sessions and 7 Safeguarding Children workshops (including Level 4 and Safer Recruitment). We also initiated a series of "Meet your Local Authority Designated Officer" online sessions.
Voluntary Sector Representatives
CVA works to ensure the VCS's voice is represented at local statutory sector led partnerships. This year 38 candidates stood for election and 20 were elected to stand on 15 Boards, Committees and Sub Groups including the Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership, Health and Well Being Board and the Safer Croydon Partnership. CVA have collaborated with our infrastructure colleagues across South West London to provide joined up recommendations on Building a VCSE alliance across SW London