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What we want to fund

Organisations stuck in a short-term funding cycle

This funding was co-designed with The Phoenix Community Trust and groups from Global Majority and racially minoritised communities.

During this process, we learned about the barriers and frustrations many of them experience when trying to get funding.

This included:

  • structural racism

  • a bias toward larger organisations with previous funding

  • decision-making panels that lacked representation of Global Majority and racially minoritised communities

This has created a cycle of short-term, project-based funding that many of these groups are finding difficult to break out from.

Short-term funding focuses on delivering projects but does not provide the flexible support needed to:

  • build staff capacity

  • strengthen systems

  • plan for the long term

Because of the lack of this type of investment, many organisations from Global Majority and racially minoritised communities find it difficult to develop.

This is then used by funders as a reason to see them as “too small” or “too risky” for larger grants. This leads to further short-term funding and keeps the cycle going.

We want to help break this cycle so that these grassroots groups can:

  • achieve their full potential

  • make a greater impact on their communities

Criteria you need to meet

To be eligible for this funding you must:

  • have received a small grant (£20,000 and under) from The National Lottery Community Fund between April 2023 – March 2026

  • have applied to Reaching Communities fund between April 2023 and March 2026 and been unsuccessful

  • have a board or leadership team where most of the members are from Global Majority and racially minoritised communities

  • prioritise services and activities for Global Majority and racially minoritised communities

  • have an annual income of less than £300,000 per annum (based on a 3-year average)

How we’ll prioritise applications

We’ll prioritise applications from organisations that:

  • have strong evidence of lived experiences of Global Majority and racially minoritised communities shaping your organisation and the work you do

  • clear plans for how this funding will lead to organisational growth and change