The Aldgate and Allhallows Foundation is thrilled to announce a major £150,000 grant to Rich Mix, to support an ambitious capital project and creative engagement programme. This funding comes at an important moment as Rich Mix prepares to celebrate its 20th Anniversary and start on a major project to transform their space.
Alongside investment from Arts Council England, our funding will enable Rich Mix to upgrade its building while keeping its important community work running at full capacity.
As part of our investment, we’re funding the development of the Aldgate & Allhallows New Creatives Space. This will transform Rich Mix’s ground floor into a flexible, open-plan welcome area, with a café and dedicated exhibition spaces designed specifically for local communities, families and young people.
Community has always been at the heart of Rich Mix, and this redesign will put local people at the centre. The new space will be open, accessible and dynamic – a place where everyone in the community feels welcome.
The funding will also support an 18-month Creative Engagement initiative for young people aged 16-24. Led by industry professionals, the programme will deliver training sessions, music workshops, film clubs, and oral history sessions.
Tower Hamlets has the highest youth population in London, but local young people face multiple barriers to employment. Although Bethnal Green is known for being a vibrant creative district, disadvantaged students still face disproportionate hurdles when trying to break into creative careers.
For the last 20 years, Rich Mix has been breaking down these barriers. Today, 75% of their participants are from Global Majority backgrounds. Additionally, across their New Creatives youth training programme, 90% of participants come from Global Majority communities, including care leavers and young people not in employment, education or training.
This programme will reach around 1,500 local beneficiaries and audience members, helping participants develop valuable media skills, build self-esteem, form positive social networks and open doors to long-term careers in the creative industries.
We’ve worked with Rich Mix for over a decade, and we’re really proud to support them in this new chapter. We look forward to seeing how our new investment will empower and inspire the next generation of creatives in London.
Rich Mix Chief Executive, Judith Kilvington, said:
“The support of the Aldgate & Allhallows Foundation has been transformative for Rich Mix, and this latest investment could not come at a more meaningful moment. For twenty years, we have been working to break down the barriers so more young people in Tower Hamlets can access creative careers — and this funding allows us to do that with greater ambition than ever before. The new Aldgate & Allhallows New Creatives Space will create a permanent, welcoming home for that work, and the programme it supports will open real pathways into the creative industries for young people who too often find those doors closed to them. Tower Hamlets has extraordinary creative talent within its communities. This investment helps ensure that talent has somewhere to grow.”
Our Chief Executive, Richard Foley, said:
“We are delighted to award a grant of £150,000 to Rich Mix to support the creation of the Aldgate & Allhallows New Creatives Space. As a long-standing supporter of Rich Mix, who are celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2026, we are proud to contribute to this important initiative, which reflects our continued commitment to investing in inclusive cultural infrastructure and enabling more people to access, participate in and benefit from creative opportunities in the heart of east London, and in particular, Tower Hamlets”
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Are you a charity, school or education provider dedicated to opening doors for young people in Tower Hamlets or the City of London? Please visit our Grants Page to see if your organisation is eligible to apply for our next funding round.