Other Ways That We Can Help

Examples of additional support we have given to groups

Kuumba Imani
Our work with Kuumba Imani which began in 2015 was initially focused on internal organisational issues around board membership and short term sustainability, it soon became clear that the Kuumba had outgrown its original purpose and was doing more broad based community work but without much focus. The issue facing the organisation was a fundamental one of purpose what did it exist to do today? After some conversation the idea of L8 a better place a broad based community development program took shape. JMF supported Kuumba Imani further in employing a worker to carry out listening surveys within the community to test out the idea and what L8 a better place might look like.

The themes that came from the listening surveys included:

Lack of Integration/Communication Between Communities

Apathy, Feeling of No Hope, No Support and No Interest

School Exclusion  

Lack of Support and a Loss of Services for the Elderly

Social Life has Gone

Optimism, Hope, belief gone

"John Moores Foundation support has been crucial for Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in terms of offering practical advice and guidance as well as financial support via its grant funding system. An example of how a funder and small charity works well and is able to make a difference in communities is clearly seen through L8 A Better Place that as stated earlier started from a series of conversations and is now in its first year of operating with a designated staff team of three Community Development workers.  The team are liaising with the local L8 community and organisations in order to develop a better understanding of sectors and systems.  This support has also offered training opportunities to up to 53 individuals in order for them to make an individual and collective impact in the place they live or work" - Michelle Charters, CEO Kuumba Imani 

Norris Green

As an example of our development work towards the end of 2005, the trustees of John Moores Foundation identified the lack of co-ordinated community action and independent community development in Norris Green as being a major issue in an area of severe social and economic deprivation. They therefore decided to commission a community-led research project to establish the views of local residents on what the key issues and priorities were for the area.

A group of interested people who live and work in Norris Green was brought together to guide the process of setting up the project. The Reference Group devised the specification for the research project and interviewed and appointed consultants to conduct it. The resulting report identifies the key issues for the community and makes a set of recommendations for agencies operating in the area and an action plan for the Reference Group.

The Reference Group stood down in 2009 and a new group Norris Green Community Alliance was established the same year. With some members of the Reference Group coming on the board of the new organisation. If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact Eddie via our Contact Us page.