Empowering local communities

Starting Up, Starting Out with Southwark LAP.

We will provide a £500 grant, training, and hands-on support to help 80 individuals, social enterprises and charities earning under £10k per annum to strengthen their leadership skills and build long-term financial resilience.

This programme is no longer accepting applications.

Let’s grow, Southwark.

The Southwark Local Access Partnership (LAP) is a bold initiative driving social and economic change in our community. Backed by Southwark Council and Access - The Foundation for Social Investment and Better Society Capital. Do it Now Now will provide essential funding, training, and support to charities and social enterprises, empowering them to tackle inequality and create sustainable impact.

Our programme strengthens through capacity building, leadership development, advocacy, and financial resilience. Together, we’re shaping a collaborative, sustainable, and diverse social economy, one that delivers lasting benefits for all Southwark residents. Join us in transforming Southwark’s future.

About the programme

We are committed to supporting 80 individuals, charities and social enterprises earning anything up to £10,000 per year, looking to establish strong foundations, plus get a £500 grant! Unregistered, unincorporated and sole traders are welcome.

Our programme is a dedicated initiative designed to strengthen Black and Global Majority-led social enterprises and charities in Southwark. Through hands-on training, expert mentorship, and financial support, we equip organisations with the skills and resources to grow, sustain their impact, and create lasting change in their communities.

Recruitment dates:

13 September to 23 November 2025

Our goal is to empower Black and Global Majority-led charities and social enterprises to become sustainable, resilient, and impactful forces for change in Southwark. By working together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive social economy that benefits everyone.

The Experience

This four-month programme is designed for organisations in the early stages of their journey, providing essential support to build strong foundations and increase financial sustainability. It is exclusively for organisations earning up to £10k in revenue annually. A £500 compensated capacity building grant is available to each organisation upon successful completion of the programme.

What’s included?

Business essentials – Learn key skills in, resource allocation, and strategic planning.
Revenue growth – Develop income strategies to increase income and reduce reliance on grants.
Marketing and Storytelling – Learn how to shape and communicate your organisation’s success.
One-on-one expert support – Get personalised advice from experienced professionals.
Peer networking – Connect and collaborate with other leaders.

By the end of the programme, participants will have a clear plan to strengthen their organisation and grow with confidence.

Eligibility Criteria

Status

Unincorporated organisations and individuals/solo entrepreneurs are welcome.
Registered organisations must have a clearly stated mission to support issues impacting Southwark’s Communities.

Geography

Organisations must be based in and operating in Southwark. Either by location, partnerships or practice.

Leadership

At least one DiNN Member - to become a member of the Do it Now Now community please fill in this form bit.ly/dinncode

Black or Global Majority-Led organisation or individual from a Black or Global Majority background.

Finance

Organisations must be generating an annual income that is £10k or less.
Individuals who have not yet registered their organisation should also be earning £10k or less per annum.

How we’ll work

Submit an EOI form to help the programme team understand your organisation's alignment with the eligibility criteria. This initial submission gathers essential details about your organisation’s mission, financials, and leadership. It is not a full proposal but sets the foundation for further engagement if shortlisted.
If successful in the EOI, you’ll move to proposal development. This involves working with the programme team to delve into your request to receive support, ensuring we fully understand your needs before we make a decision.
Once your proposal is approved, you'll begin the onboarding process. The onboarding phase ensures that you have all the resources and guidance needed to implement your project and achieve sustainable growth.
We know that to achieve your goals capacity building, and more importantly, tailored support is necessary to move in the right direction.
Sessions timetable: fortnightly on Thursdays from 23 October 2025 to 15 January 2026.

You will engage with a dedicated Critical Friend, subject matter experts as mentors, and much more. This LIVE online training is best suited to the leadership of the organisation.
By the end of our journey together, you’ll have built a solid foundation, developed lasting community, and crafted a clear, actionable plan for your organisation’s ongoing growth and sustainability.
Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be provided with an unrestricted core funding grant that must be spent down within three months of receiving it.

For Starting Up, the grant is £500.

Apply here to take the next step for your future

This is your opportunity to access funding and practical support to strengthen your organisation. If you’re ready to build long-term sustainability and make a real impact in Southwark’s impact ecosystem, apply now and move your organisation forward.

Why us?

As a Black community-focused infrastructure organisation, DiNN works intersectionally across the demographics and causes our community is active in. Over the past couple of years, we have been particularly active in supporting the sustainability of Black-led climate action, youth-led, lived experience-led, and strengths-based organisations.

Find out more

Application Support

We want you to have the best possible experience of this funding programme. Please feel free to get in touch with us so we can help you through.

Get in touch with us directly by email and we’ll get back in touch within 2 working days.
1-2-1 support calls are available throughout the duration of the Expression of Interest window.
This is an opportunity for you to clarify any questions you may have about the application process. To request a call, please email us. Please join the call with your questions prepared.
Drop in sessions are available following stage 1 of the application process. We encourage applicants to attend these sessions even when they don't have a specific question to ask because it is a fantastic networking opportunity as well as a chance to be inspired by the questions others ask.