Hackney CVS

Who we are

Hackney CVS is the local infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in Hackney and the City of London. Our core work includes partnership coordination, organisational development support, funding advice, training, and advocacy. For more than twenty-five years we have supported, connected and represented community organisations of every size and type. Our role is to strengthen the VCS, build collaboration and ensure that the organisations serving residents most affected by inequality, can shape the decisions affect them.

Our Vision

Our vision is of a Hackney and a City of London where the voluntary and community sector is strong, influential, and united, with the power to create a fairer society.

We want to build a voluntary and community sector in Hackney and the City of London that is:

Diverse: in size, purpose, leadership, composition and approach.

Active: where people from a wide range of backgrounds take action, shape their communities, and influence or make decisions.

Connected: where people work in solidarity to do things that matter to them, to have greater impact together than they would alone.

Respected: consulted, involved, and treated as an equal partner within systems and by other sectors.

2026 - 2028

Hackney CVS is entering a more focused phase. The last few years have shown that our greatest strength lies in connection: the networks, relationships and trust that link voluntary organisations, communities and local systems. This refresh is about building on that strength while concentrating our energy where it makes the most difference.

We are putting greater emphasis on supporting organisations that are closest to residents but often the least resourced – those led by and serving Black and Global Majority communities, and smaller, emerging groups. We will explore how to expand this support through practical advice, connections and access to funding. We will continue to develop our work in the City of London, recognising the differences, and the overlap of needs and opportunities between Hackney and the City of London.

Digital tools will play a bigger part in how we connect organisations, share information and make collaboration easier, starting with our new database. But the day-to-day, human, face to face contact so valued by our communities will continue to be as vital and central to our work as ever. Our networks will continue to diversify as we reach into seldom-heard communities, ensuring that a wider range of voices are part of local decision-making.

Much as we will always offer our own voice in key debates, shaped by our members, our goal is not to speak for others, but to help people and organisations develop the confidence and opportunities to speak for themselves. Our role is to make sure their voices are heard in the right places and that they can take part in shaping decisions directly. In our networks and forums, we are clear that busy, action-focused groups and leaders don’t just want more talking shops. They need ways of turning thought and debate into action, delivering real shifts in reducing inequalities for residents. We take our role in helping turn their voices into action seriously.

This phase is about depth rather than breadth: being more deliberate, more member-centred and more responsive. We will keep listening closely, adapt as the sector changes, and focus on the core strands of work that help the whole voluntary and community sector, and the communities and residents of Hackney and the City of London, to thrive together.

Our Strategic Pillars

1. A Stronger voice for the VCS

We will help local voluntary and community organisations be heard in decisions that affect people’s lives. This means supporting groups to express their views, working with them to find shared positions, and making sure those voices reach the council, NHS and other decision-makers. We will also help smaller organisations and community leaders take part directly in local partnerships so that decisions are shaped by those closest to the issues.

2. A better connected VCS

We will strengthen links between organisations so they can work together more effectively. This includes maintaining and developing networks and forums, hosting meetings where people can share ideas and plan joint action, and helping different sectors – public, private and voluntary – work together on shared problems. Our focus is on practical cooperation rather than discussion for its own sake, building trust and stronger relationships.

3. A better resourced VCS

We will help local organisations access the funding, space and support they need to continue their work. This includes bringing in new resources for the sector, offering training and one to one advice, and sharing information and tools that make day-to-day operations easier. We will work with funders and partners to make sure smaller and community-led groups are not left behind. The aim is for organisations to be more stable, confident and able to plan ahead.