Celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, ELBA (East London Business Alliance) is a charity with a focus on supporting East London by bringing together business and community to create brighter futures for young people and all.
Established in 1989 as the East London Partnership by a group of business leaders who were concerned about the levels of poverty and inequality in East London, the focus of the organisation was on the boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. Changing our name in 1993 to the East London Business Alliance – ELBA – we set up formally as a limited company and charity.
Originally based at the Truman Brewery, then relocating to Abbey Mills Pumping station – Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s magnificent 19th-century sewage system fondly referred to as ‘The Cathedral of Sewage’ – ELBA has remained at the heart of East London, we are still going strong (and in a nicer office space too!).
We want to spread the word about the good that business can do in supporting young people to make the most of their potential
Over the last three decades, the organisation’s focus has been to draw on the talent, resources and workforce of Canary Wharf and City of London businesses to help meet local needs through employee volunteering and support. We now have over 70 members from business and public bodies, and we operate in nine boroughs, covering 25 per cent of London’s population.
We have a unique experience of understanding young local people – their challenges and opportunities – and the business world, and how to connect the two. Utilising the expertise of business volunteers and the resources they can access, ELBA creates programmes to unlock the potential of young people.
ELBA member businesses have had a big impact, with an estimated 200,000+ employees choosing to give their time and expertise to support the young people, residents and communities of East London and beyond.