EdenTree Better Tomorrow Fund
The EdenTree Better Tomorrow Fund is a three-year £150,000 grant to support charities operating in areas that are aligned to our core values and ultimate aim to invest for a better tomorrow.
The grant programme was previously known as the EdenTree Community Investment Fund and was launched in 2017. We are a purpose-driven business and have always believed in doing more for our charity partners than providing money alone (although we appreciate how vital this is for small community charities). As such, we have opted for a longer three-year partnership cycle and have sought to volunteer for our charity partners where possible.
During the first round of grants, we supported Futures Theatre as our flagship project over the years, and Street Talk and NatureVIbezz as satellite projects.
In 2020, when the pandemic struck, we temporarily suspended our three-year programme and provided short-term to support to four charities via our long-standing partner, the London Community Foundation. These included Be Kind Movement, Let’s Go Outside and Learn, Dose of Nature and Kalungan Filipino Consortium.
In 2021 our team at EdenTree voted for Education, Mental Health & Wellbeing and Environment as core themes for our next three year programme. This led to support for Blind in Business, the Drop in Bereavement Centre and Walworth Community Gardening Network.
In 2024, we refreshed our partnership model, deciding to concentrate our support along two core pillars that line up with positive outcomes we seek to achieve through our investment products – namely, to tackle key environmental challenges (such as climate change) and support underserved communities.
This has led to exciting new partnerships with The Green Schools Project and YES Outdoors, which will span the three years from 2025.
The Green Schools Project
Green Schools Project was set up by a teacher in 2015 with the aim to empower schools to take an active role in addressing the climate crisis and promoting sustainability. Green Schools Project works with primary and secondary schools to help young people understand the climate crisis and develop skills to create a positive impact. Their work aims to inspire students, teachers, and communities to adopt greener practices and contribute to a more sustainable future. They do this through the following:
- Zero Carbon Schools programme – Supports young people to learn about the climate crisis and lead on activities to reduce their schools carbon emissions. The team at Green Schools Project support schools in integrating sustainability into the curriculum and everyday practices, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and enhancing green spaces on school grounds.
- Community engagement projects – Encourages collaboration between schools and local communities to address environmental challenges, promoting initiatives like tree planting, clean-up events, and local sustainability campaigns.
Green Schools Project has worked with several schools in London, with a focus on working in areas of London with high levels of deprivation.
Quote from the Green Schools Project on EdenTree’s grant: "We are so grateful to EdenTree for awarding us £75,000 of funding over three years from their Better Tomorrow fund. This grant will make a massive difference to our work in London over the coming years, enabling us to work with more schools and more young people in the parts of London that can most benefit from our Zero Carbon Schools programme. It will also mean we can increase our ambitions for schools to lead the way on inspiring climate action in their local communities through our Community Climate Action Manager role. We are looking forward to working with EdenTree and their staff to develop an impactful and far-reaching new partnership."
More information on the work of The Green Schools Project can be found at https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk
YES Outdoors
YES Outdoors was set up in 2011 in the wake of the London riots with the aim to prevent at risk young people from low income neighbourhoods and disadvantaged backgrounds being led into criminality or gangs. YES Outdoors operates in North London, with a focus on working with young people from the boroughs of Islington, Camden and Haringey. Their projects utilise adventure based activities to raise young people’s aspirations and improve their life chances. Their core programmes include:
- Mentoring – this is a long term mentoring programme using rock climbing to build confidence and problem solving skills for young people.
- Bicycle maintenance – through engaging with positive role models, young people are taught valuable skills, repairing and renovating old bicycles, which is then given to them for free to keep.
- Employment support – YES Outdoors provide one-to-one support from a dedicated Employment Coach to support them on their journey to employment. This includes, help with applications, CVs and interview coaching.
YES Outdoors also run a youth advisory panel where young people are actively involved in shaping and designing their programmes.
More information on the work of YES Outdoors can be found at https://yesoutdoors.org.uk
Previously supported
Blind in Business
Helps blind and sight impaired young people into employment. £90,000 over three years will assist the charity with their office costs, the hub of their offer and activities.
More information on the work of Blind in Business can be found at https://blindinbusiness.org.uk/
Drop-in Bereavement Centre
One of two bereavement support services in Newham, supporting bereaved individuals and their families to process the grief journey. £30,000 over three years will assist in engaging professional counsellors and delivering Covid 19 Peer Group Counselling Workshops.
More information on the work of the Drop in Bereavement Centre can be found at https://www.thedropinbereavementcentre.co.uk/
Walworth Community Gardening Network
Linked to over 40 community gardens representing more than 240 active gardeners. £30,000 over three years will support spaces to hold 10 share experiences each year for three years.
More information on the work of Walworth Community Gardening Network can be found at https://walworthgarden.org.uk/
Futures Theatre
A performance based education specialist that creates and produces work from a female perspective that places women at the centre. Futures specialises in commissioning work that tours schools and youth audiences across London, focusing on young people’s needs. Our grant supports the tour of ‘Underwater Love’ a challenging piece that explores how young people can assert themselves within relationships in a world saturated with social media, peer pressure and sexual imagery. Each performance is followed by an interactive workshop in which students engage with the material, act out scenarios, and explore how they can affect positive change.
More information on the work of Futures Theatre can be found at www.futurestheatre.co.uk
Nature Vibezzz
Nature Vibezzz provides outdoor educational services, environmental education and practical nature conservation sessions, programs, events and community projects in South London. Their aim is to run services for the community that take the community outdoors, especially people who are not so confident about themselves or around nature, to promote nature activities, support volunteering and provide help to others organisations through community engagement and to provide opportunities for the disadvantaged, elderly and schoolchildren, among others. We were attracted to the wide ranging projects and commitments and particularly providing services for young people and families who are facing challenges in their lives, as well as for the general community, and in supporting young people in the transition phase from adolescence to adulthood – from dependence to independence.
More information on the work of Nature Vibezzz can be found here: https://www.naturevibezzz.org
Street Talk
Street Talk provides intensive counselling and therapy for women caught up in trafficking or street work. Their aim is to provide professional, specialist care, for as long as it takes, for some of the most vulnerable and brutalised women with complex needs. The therapeutic services Street Talk offers take time, and our grant will fund a professional counsellor to work with 30 women over the course of a year.
More information on the work of Street Talk can be found at www.streettalkuk.org/
