Delivered by Beyond the Bias
In 2025, the Foundation for Future London awarded a grant to Beyond the Bias for its “The Side Hustle Programme” project through our Year 5 Community Grant Scheme, part of our Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, funded by Westfield Stratford City.
The 40-week Side Hustle Accelerator Programme seeks to empower 15 BAME, working-class young women to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality. Through tailored skills training, mentorship and access to grants and resources, participants will gain the confidence, knowledge and practical experience needed to build and sustain their side hustles.
Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund is an award-winning innovative five-year programme that aims to invest £10 million into the local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest. The programme has transformed and catalysed the lives and careers of over 19,000 people in East London by putting funding, resources and support straight into local people’s hands.
The 40-week Side Hustle Accelerator Programme aims to empower 15 BAME, working-class young women to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality. Through tailored skills training, mentorship and access to grants and resources, participants will gain the confidence, knowledge and practical experience needed to build and sustain their side hustles.
The programme will offer hands-on workshops covering essential business skills such as marketing, financial literacy and strategic planning, alongside one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals. Participants will receive personalised support to refine their business ideas, create actionable plans and access seed funding to test and grow their ventures.
Beyond business skills, the programme prioritises personal development, fostering self-belief, resilience and leadership. By the end of the 40 weeks, these young women will not only have built their own businesses but will also have developed the confidence to step into entrepreneurial and professional spaces with conviction.
Transforming lives and careers of people in East London
Westfield Stratford City is London’s most popular shopping destination by footfall, located in London’s fastest growing area