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London Community Foundation to join effort to increase local organisations’ ability to respond to the impact of COVID-19. Initiative is in line with a long-term commitment to address key drivers of the racial wealth divide, reduce systemic racism, and support employees
London, U.K. – November 17, 2020 - Today, during the Powerlist Black Excellence Awards, JPMorgan Chase will announce a £2 million philanthropic investment to support nonprofit organisations in London that are led by Black and ethnic minority leaders.
In collaboration with other organisations, including the London Community Foundation, the firm will help boost the ability of local nonprofit organisations to deal with the increased demand for their services since the onset of COVID-19. This collaboration aims to help remove barriers to opportunity for Black and ethnic minority communities by strengthening organisations that focus on jobs and skills, small business growth and financial health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the health and finances of Black and ethnic minority communities, highlighting and exacerbating structural barriers to economic opportunity,” said Viswas Raghavan, CEO of J.P. Morgan in EMEA. “As part of our global commitment to racial equity, JPMorgan Chase is focused on helping develop local, community-driven solutions to help historically underserved Londoners share in the benefits of an inclusive economy.”
Structural barriers in the U.K. have created profound racial inequalities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While over half of white groups reported that they had not been affected financially by the coronavirus crisis, only a third of Black and minority ethnic (BME) people said the same. Research found that BME people are more likely to have found it harder than usual to pay for essentials, meet basic needs (12% BME vs 8% white groups) and pay bills or rent (15% BME vs 8% white groups).
JPMorgan Chase and the London Community Foundation are looking to collaborate with organisations with Black and ethnic minority leaders to design and implement a programme that helps address economic disparity in a targeted and meaningful way. This effort is focused on strengthening local nonprofit organisations that are on the frontlines of addressing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities.
“This is an important initiative for London’s communities as it seeks to invest in both BME-led frontline organisations, providing vital employment and financial health support, as well as the organisations that can support their resilience and voice,” said Kate Markey, CEO of London Community Foundation. “LCF is delighted to be partnering with J.P. Morgan on the programme at this time.”
This commitment builds on the approach JPMorgan Chase has taken in its support of London Youth to help 15 youth clubs across London empower young people. This increases their employability by building their skills and connecting them with employers.
“Building out our capacity to deliver employability support has allowed us to be more impactful in helping the young people who come to our club,” said Syed Uddin, Head of Operations at Leaders in Community Youth Club in East London. “We are now better able to work with them to pursue their career and education goals. We have been able to exchange ideas with other youth clubs, train staff to offer relevant advice and guidance, access better employability resources online, introduce a skills development framework and use new digital tools for virtual career insight and work experience opportunities.”
A Commitment to Racial Equity
This new effort follows a $30 billion commitment by JPMorgan Chase to advance racial equity through its expertise in business, policy and philanthropy. The commitment will focus on promoting and expanding affordable housing and homeownership, growing Black and ethnic-minority owned small businesses, improving financial health and access to banking, and building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
In the U.K., through its Advancing Black Pathways Programme, the firm has a history of investing in the careers of Black students and leaders.
About JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $3.2 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of customers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands.
Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
About London Community Foundation
The London Community Foundation (LCF) exists to help build strong and connected communities. The charity does this by inspiring London’s generosity to invest in small charities and community groups working deep in the Capital’s communities. Since inception it has raised over £100M to support London’s grassroots, working with corporate and individual philanthropists as well as public sector partners. Since first lockdown, LCF has committed over £9M in COVID funding as part of the London Community Response, a collaboration of London funders committed to best practice funding during the crisis as well as being a signatory of #WeStandwiththeSector.
About London Youth
London Youth is a charity on a mission to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to be the best they can be. The charity has been championing outstanding youth work for over 130 years, providing young people with opportunities outside education and the home to have fun with their friends, develop their skills, to be healthy, creative and to make positive change in their communities.
Their diverse network of 600+ community youth organisations are located in every borough across the capital. The charity creates opportunities for tens of thousands of young Londoners every year through employability, sports development, arts, social action and outdoor education programmes.
For more information, visit https://londonyouth.org/what-we-do/employability/
Contact: Amalia Kontesi, amalia.kontesi@jpmchase.com
