Community partnerships

Hackney voluntary and community sector grants programme

The voluntary and community sector grants programme is available to local voluntary and community organisations to support projects for Hackney residents.

Hackney voluntary and community sector strategy

We have worked with the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to identify and define the challenges and actions needed so that the VCS can continue to thrive and maintain its unique role in supporting Hackney’s residents and so that partnerships between the Council and the VCS can be as impactful as possible.

The VCS strategy sets out what we have learnt with the sector and how we will work together in the future to provide the best for our communities.

​Volunteering for Hackney

Volunteering for Hackney is a new Council initiative in partnership with Volunteer Centre Hackney and Hackney CVS, providing support for small, locally based volunteer led projects to help them ‘be the change’ in their communities.

Your group could get, among other things:

• help with fundraising
• free meeting rooms
• one to one help with social media and communications
• promotion of your activities through Council channels
• free training on topics such as recruiting and retaining volunteers, safeguarding

For more information please contact communitypartnerships@hackney.gov.uk.

The Hackney Community Strategy Partnership

The Hackney Community Strategy Partnership is our local strategic partnership board. It ensures that we, and the organisations that work with us, are working towards our collective vision for Hackney.

We consider the whole borough and work across organisations, looking at the big challenges are that no single organisation or partnership can solve on its own, and work towards solving them together.

Hackney Compact

The compact agreement is an agreement between us and voluntary and community sector partners. It’s a set of shared principles committing us to getting the best out of the partnership on behalf of local people.

Hackney Armed Forces community covenant

The Council, together with Hackney Homes, Hackney Police, Hackney Council for Voluntary Services and representatives from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Greater London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association and national Armed Forces Charities signed a Hackney Armed Forces community covenant on 29 January 2013.

Charity and not for profit – discretionary rate relief

We can also give charities and not for profit organisations discretionary rate relief of up to 100%, if you are a registered charity in receipt of the 80% mandatory charity relief or a not for profit organisation. More information on charity and not for profit discretionary rate relief.