About us
Nine years of trusted, culturally sensitive support with the communities we serve.
Who we are
A London where every woman and family has the stability, resources and voice to thrive — no matter their background.
Lido Foundation is a registered charity based in London. For nine years we've built trusted, culturally sensitive support with the communities we serve — primarily BAME women, including Somali, Ethiopian and Caribbean families.
We started in 2015 with a simple idea: that support only works when it's shaped by the people receiving it. Nearly a decade on, that idea still runs everything we do. We listen first. We ask what's needed. And because half our trustees have been service users themselves, we understand what dignified support actually feels like.
Our results in 2025
Addressing the root causes
For too many women in our community, the system is confusing, unforgiving and impersonal. Housing insecurity, benefit sanctions and language barriers compound one another.
We work upstream — with advice, advocacy and long relationships — so that a crisis today doesn't become a decade of hardship tomorrow.
Striving for systemic change
Today's problems aren't just individual — they're structural. That's why we sit at tables with councils, funders and partners to change how support is designed and delivered.
Half our trustees have used our services themselves. Their voices shape our strategy, not just our stories.
Transformation is never just one change
It starts with curiosity — asking why a problem persists. It grows through relationships built over years, not weeks.
Every food parcel, every appeal letter, every football session is part of a longer story: a community that knows itself and looks after its own.
Nine years in — and just getting started.
Whether you want to volunteer, partner, fund a food parcel or refer someone who needs help — there's a way in for you.