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Welcome to our new website. You may still see some pages from our old site as we move things over.

What we want to fund

We want to fund work that supports communities to take action on the root causes of inequality. This includes poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.

We’re looking for work that:

  • supports people with lived experience to lead and organise for change
  • connects different communities and issues so people can act together in solidarity
  • helps build knowledge about how to respond to inequality and share what works

This funding is not for delivering services. We recognise the importance of this work and support it through other funding programmes.

Lived experience must be at the heart of your work

To apply, your work must be led by, and accountable to, people with lived experience of the issues you want to change.

By lived experience, we mean personal experience of the issues your organisation is trying to change. This includes when that experience shapes how someone understands the issue, responds to it, or organises to take action.

This might include people who:

  • are leaders or board members
  • help set your organisation’s priorities
  • are members who take part in key decisions

We believe lasting change is more likely when people with lived experience are meaningfully involved and hold organisations to account.

We also recognise that strong leadership is often built on a blend of different kinds of knowledge:

  • lived experience – personal or community experience of the issues an organisation is working to change
  • learned experience – insight gained through study, research, or professional practice
  • expert experience – skills in governance, finance, strategy and organisational delivery

You can read more in our blog on accountability and lived experience in the Solidarity Fund.

Making long-term systems change

Your work should aim to make big and lasting changes to the root causes of inequality. This means thinking beyond the immediate issues people face, and focusing on why those issues happen in the first place.

This is sometimes called systems change. It includes:

  • changing how organisations or sectors work together
  • shifting resources, relationships and priorities
  • challenging who holds power and how decisions are made

You can read more in our blog on what we mean by changing systems within the Solidarity Fund.

Working in solidarity

We also want to fund work that brings people together across different communities, backgrounds or experiences. This could mean working across place, identity or issue, and finding shared solutions.

We’re especially interested in organisations that collaborate and support each other, rather than working alone. This is what we mean by working in solidarity.

Read more in our blog on what we mean by strengthening solidarity.

Building community power to help people make change

We want to fund work that helps people gain the skills, confidence and support to organise and influence change. This could mean:

  • shaping local services and places
  • influencing decisions that affect people’s lives

Read our blog on what we mean by organising for change within the Solidarity Fund.

Create, share and use learning

Your work should be informed by the experience of people affected by inequality. You might use that learning to:

  • influence decisions or change how systems work
  • support others who are working on similar issues
  • shift public understanding by sharing stories or insights

Read more in our blog on what we mean by building knowledge within the Solidarity Fund.

Examples of what we’re unlikely to fund

We do not fund applications that don’t strongly match what we’re looking for.

For example:

  • work that is not genuine systems change, such as projects that mainly deliver services without addressing the underlying causes
  • advocacy-only approaches, where professionals speak on behalf of communities without organising or creating accountable ways for people to lead
  • one-off campaigns without legacy, such as petitions or social media pushes that don’t build long-term leadership or community power
  • projects that build no new knowledge or fail to share learning that helps communities shift understanding or influence systems
  • work unrelated to your track record, such as moving into new areas without showing how this builds on existing knowledge or relationships
  • digital-only transfers, simply moving services online without other meaningful changes that grow solidarity, power or systems change

Your work can change over time

We understand your work may evolve, especially if we fund you for up to 10 years. We’re comfortable with uncertainty and will be flexible as your plans develop. We want to support you in continuing to respond to your community’s needs.

If you’re working with children or adults at risk

You must have a safeguarding policy in place. This also applies to any partners involved in the work. If you get funding, you’ll need to meet our expectations on keeping people safe.

For advice, visit the NCVO website on safeguarding.