Accountability and lived experience within the Solidarity Fund: what we mean and why it matters

The Solidarity Fund prioritises funding organisations that support communities to act and work together to address the root causes of inequality. We believe that meaningful and lasting change is more likely when people with direct, personal experience of the issues being tackled are shaping decisions, setting priorities, and guiding strategy.

Lived experience leadership is not just about being present in conversations or included in consultations. It’s about creating spaces where those most affected by injustice have real influence over how work is designed and delivered, whether through board roles, staff leadership, membership structures, or other meaningful forms of community accountability.

In the Solidarity Fund, 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

When these perspectives are valued and brought together, organisations are better equipped to respond to complexity and lead inclusive, long-term change.

Where lived experience leadership can thrive

Solidarity Fund aims to support a wide range of organisations where lived experience helps shape decision-making, including those that are led ‘by and for’ specific communities and those working across a range of groups and geographies.

‘By and for’ organisations play a vital role in building trust and deep accountability within specific communities. At the same time, powerful lived experience leadership can also be found in organisations and institutions that bring together different groups, provided there is a clear commitment to sharing power and being accountable to the people most affected by the work.

What matters most is not the structure or label, but whether lived experience is meaningfully shaping strategy, governance, and delivery. This might happen through board-level leadership, participatory decision-making, or models where members actively influence priorities and direction. We look for organisations that embed this kind of accountability in how they operate and evolve over time.

Why accountability makes leadership stronger

Representation alone is not enough. To be meaningful, leadership must be rooted in accountability, with clear ways for people and communities to influence decisions and direction.

The Solidarity Fund cares about accountability because it helps ensure leadership is not just symbolic, but genuinely rooted in the communities an organisation works with. This can take many forms, from membership models where communities elect leaders or vote on key decisions, to rotating leadership roles that reflect community diversity and experience. It may also include co-created strategies, where priorities are shaped through structured dialogue and shared decision-making, or accountability mechanisms that give communities a formal role in evaluating impact and shaping future direction.

These structures also help organisations stay grounded, protect against tokenism, and adapt in ways that reflect the real needs and insights of those most affected by inequality.

Supporting accountable and lived experienced leadership

The Solidarity Fund prioritises funding organisations where lived experience helps shape governance, strategy, and delivery, not just where people are consulted. We support work that brings together lived, learned, and expert perspectives, and that recognises each as essential to effective and inclusive leadership.

We are particularly interested in how organisations show accountability to the communities they work with. This could include having leaders with lived experience on boards, involving members in key decisions, or creating regular opportunities for those affected to help shape priorities.

We also value work that supports the development of leadership over time, providing people with the tools, confidence, and space to lead in ways that reflect their experience and strengths.

Investing in leadership for long-term change

By resourcing lived experience leadership, the Solidarity Fund helps build stronger, more inclusive organisations where communities are not just represented, but help shape the systems that affect their lives.

We believe this kind of leadership leads to more relevant, thoughtful, and sustainable change, grounded in trust, shared learning, and long-term commitment.