The Big Lottery Fund has given £1m to the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund, as part of ‘People Powered Change,’ a new BIG initiative to build community-led action across England.

The Dispossessed Fund, which is being run by the Community Foundation Network, was established last year by the Evening Standard, with the aim of making a permanent difference to the lives of London’s most vulnerable residents.

BIG’s £1m funding will allow grants of up to £10,000 to be made in May 2011 and later in the autumn in addition to regular grants from the Dispossessed Fund’s endowment.

The Dispossessed Fund, which had an initial target of £1m, is now worth £6.2m.

The Community Foundation Network will distribute the funding through ten local London funders:

• Capital Community Foundation
• Cripplegate Foundation
• Croydon Voluntary Action
• Ealing and Brentford Consolidated Charity
• East London Community Foundation
• Enfield Voluntary Action
• North West London Community Foudnation
• O-Regen
• St Katherine and Shadwell Trust
• Thames Community Foundation