Pathways to Work - improving employment opportunities

Our 2024 research report, ‘Poverty and Prosperity in Kensington + Chelsea: A Deepening Divide’, showed that residents of K+C continue to be affected by a number of employment related challenges. Not only does the borough have relatively high unemployment rates, but many residents find that work is not necessarily a route out of poverty, with wages insufficient to meet high living costs. 

Over the next three years, we will be investing £250,000 per year in local projects to tackle these issues through our Pathways to Work fund. The aims of the fund are:

• To increase access to viable and sustainable employment for K+C residents who are unemployed or under-employed
• To remove barriers to employment for local residents, increasing their skills, opportunities and readiness to work

We are currently working with a panel of local residents who have lived experience of employment challenges to decide which projects should be funded. They will assess how well proposals meet the aims and criteria of the fund. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to fill in a full application form in mid-June 2026 and final decisions will be communicated in early August.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Brooke at [email protected]