The Indicies of Multiple Deprivation are a statistical way of identifying small areas or neighbourhoods that are disadvantaged, and are in need of more support and development.

 

This is an official Government system that splits the country into thousands of small areas, known as LSOAs – best thought of as small local neighbourhoods. In these defined areas they measure a wide range of things, including the income of individuals, their employment and education prospects, their access to housing and local services, life expectancy and much more

These different factors are combined to create one overall Index of Multiple Deprivation, and every neighbourhood in the country is assigned a value. When compared nationally, you are able to identify the areas most in need – the most deprived 10-20% – of which there are a number in Southwark.

The map below shows these, split into the 10, 15, 20 and 30% most deprived neighbourhoods – also known as IMD 1-3.

• The 10% most deprived are displayed in blue.
• The 15% most deprived are displayed in red.
• The 20% most deprived are displayed in yellow.
• The 30% most deprived are displayed in dark grey

You can also use the icon in the top left to show the key on the map.

 

Using deprivation data

If you collect the postcodes of your service users, you can use this Postcode Lookup tool to easily find the IMD ‘score’ for their area. This is very useful data for reporting and for making your case for support – for example, you can report back to funders that X percentage of your users live in these deprived areas, showing the need for your services.

Funders

Certain funders focus their efforts on these most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, most often looking at those brackets of the 10, 15 and 20% most deprived areas. Below is a list of funders that are particularly, or occasionally exclusively, interested in funding projects in those neighbourhoods:

• Henry Smith Charity – Strengthening Communities
  • Only open to organisations working within, or immediately next to an area within, the 10% most deprived areas
• Henry Smith Charity – Holiday Grants
  • Priority will be given to projects working in the UK’s 20% most deprived areas
• L&Q Foundation – Place Makers Local
  • Application prioritised for projects in 20% most deprived areas
• Leathersellers Company – Small Grants
  • Only open to organisations working in 10-30% most deprived areas
• Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation – Small Grants
  • Keen to support projects working in deprived communities (no set percentile mentioned)
• The 7 Stars Foundation – Project Grants
  • Keen to support projects working in deprived communities (no set percentile mentioned)
• Trusthouse Charitable Foundation – Small Grants
  • Only open to organisations based in or working in the 15% most deprived areas
• Trusthouse Charitable Foundation – Large Grants
  • Only open to organisations based in or working in the 15% most deprived areas
• Sport England – Small Grants
  • Particularly want to support projects in 10-30% most deprived areas

This information can be useful when talking to funders of all shapes and sizes, especially larger national bodies, as it helps them get a quick, surface level understanding of the neighbourhood, which you can then build on when talking about your particular project or service.

Other boroughs

We have also created a similar map for Lambeth, and a similar map for Lewisham.