John Lyon’s Charity has made it to the Charity Film Awards FINALS February 2023 With over 400 UK-based charities entering this year, John Lyon’s Charity is delighted to announce that it has made it to the 6th annual Charity Film Awards Finals! A number of the Charity’s groups have also made it to the finals this year, which will make the glitzy event all the more enjoyable. Almost 40,000 votes were cast by the public in the first round, and it’s now down to a panel of expert judges to select winners from each film category.  Aiming to change mindsets …Read full article

John Lyon’s Charity is concerned to learn that 42% of UK parents with children under 16 cannot afford to take them to a pantomime or theatre this year. December 2022 John Lyon’s Charity carried out a recent national survey and learned that 42% of parents with children under the age of 16 said they cannot afford to take their child to a pantomime/theatre this year. With the current Cost of Living crisis, coupled with the aftermath of the pandemic, it is unsurprising that families are steering away from the theatre after prices surged earlier this year by 20%. [1] Can …Read full article

John Lyon’s Charity has ring-fenced £1m to help alleviate the impact of the Cost of Living crisis amongst current grant holders with a turnover of less than £1m December 2022 John Lyon’s Charity has ring-fenced £1m to help alleviate the impact of the Cost of Living crisis amongst current grant holders with a turnover of less than £1m. “We are currently severely impacted by the Cost of Living crisis. The families of our beneficiaries -autistic children and young people are struggling with increased anxieties, resulting in increased social exclusion as a direct result of the crisis.” – Flute Theatre “We …Read full article

November 2022 We celebrated the return of our Volunteer Film Screening in partnership with Media Trust. After a two-year hiatus, we were finally able to come together once again to celebrate the Charity’s Volunteer Film Initiative in partnership with Media Trust at the Ham Yard Hotel. Over the last five years, Media Trust’s Volunteer Films initiative has matched film-makers from Media Trust’s network with 60 organisations supported by John Lyon’s Charity to create a three-minute film for each charity. This year, Media Trust volunteer directors have made short films for eight shortlisted JLC grantees that powerfully bring their work to …Read full article

October 2022 John Lyon’s Charity joins forces with other funders across sectors to launch a new funding initiative, Propel. London Funders have been working with John Lyon’s Charity and many other funders to develop a collaborative funding programme, offering grants to civil society groups in London. This new initiative – called Propel – is about giving the capital’s civil society and communities the flexibility and capacity to explore, develop and lead collaborative ways of tackling some of London’s biggest challenges. We’re delighted to be one of the participating Propel funders and part of building a platform where we can act …Read full article

September 2022

August 2022 Cuddly charity mascot, John the Lyon, is a ROARING success with children and young people this summer. He’s currently touring North and West London to bring ‘ROARsome’ summer fun to underfunded communities during the holidays! All children should have the opportunity to enjoy their summer holidays, whether it’s a trip to the beach, sports activities, camping or other exciting visits out of London. However, not all children are able to experience these types of opportunities. To bridge this gap, grant-giving Funder, John Lyon’s Charity, offers a School Holiday Activity Fund so that all children and young people can …Read full article

July 2022 “All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak and speak in such a way that people will remember it.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Since Covid-19, schools have been working overtime to help their children catch up on the core academic subjects, with many having to put access to Arts subjects lower down on their agendas. As a result, there are significant numbers of children who are not accessing any Arts activities at school or being …Read full article

Five years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, John Lyon’s Charity continues to help local people and communities in North Kensington affected by the fire to recover. The impact of the fire at Grenfell Tower is still being felt throughout North Kensington and will continue to affect residents for many years to come. John Lyon’s Charity (JLC) – a London based grant-giving Funder who stepped in immediately after the tragic event five years ago is actively seeking new ways to fund Children and Young People’s organisations, and has invested £4.4m since 2017 into the borough to help support the community. …Read full article

March 2022 Major London Funder of Children & Young People has committed an additional £4M across the sector in just one year to help tackle the impact of Covid-19 on top of its usual grant giving of C.£12M One year ago today, grant-giving funder John Lyon’s Charity ring-fenced an additional £22million from its endowment to be spent over the next six years to help protect the Children and Young People’s (CYP) sector survive the Covid-19 crisis. This was in addition to its usual grant-giving of c.£10-12M. Now, just one year on, the Charity can confirm that it has already committed …Read full article