Changing systems within the Solidarity Fund: what we mean and why it matters
The Solidarity Fund prioritises funding organisations that go beyond delivering services to focus on the root causes of inequality. While many charities provide vital support, such as food banks, advice services, and mental health support, these interventions do not change the systems that create the need for them in the first place. Systems change is about making systems fairer — shifting how decisions are made, changing the stories we tell about inequality, and creating structures that work better for everyone.
This means supporting work that strengthens communities so they can have a stronger voice and help shape decisions that affect their lives. It is a long-term effort built on community leadership, shared learning, and collaboration between communities and institutions.
How systems change goes beyond service delivery
Service delivery focuses on meeting immediate needs. For example, a homelessness charity might provide temporary shelters or legal support for tenants. But without changes in housing systems, rising rents and illegal evictions will continue to push more people into homelessness. Systems change work addresses these underlying causes by helping to improve housing policies, support fairer rental practices, and strengthen safety nets for those at risk.
Likewise, while food banks offer essential short-term support, they do not remove the causes of food insecurity. A systems change approach looks at how to make systems work better for everyone, by supporting efforts that improve incomes, promote fairness at work, and ensure communities can contribute to decisions that affect them — so fewer people need emergency food support in the future.
Many types of funding rightly focus on how many people are helped or how many services are delivered. Systems change takes a different approach. It focuses on long-term outcomes: helping to make systems fairer, changing how inequality is understood and talked about, and supporting communities with lived experience to shape solutions.
What systems change looks like in practice
We see systems change as work that helps to improve the conditions that lead to inequality. This can include changing how issues are discussed in public life, encouraging more inclusive decision-making, building leadership within communities who experience inequality, and creating stronger connections between groups working on similar challenges. We are proud to support work that takes time, values collaboration, and stays committed for the long term.
What we look for in systems change work
The Solidarity Fund supports organisations that focus on tackling the root causes of inequality. We look for organisations that help communities shape solutions and improve the systems that affect them. We are especially interested in work that builds leadership, creates space for people to have a stronger voice, and supports collective learning and action. We know this work takes time, and that learning and adapting are part of the journey.
How we support organisations working for long-term change
Our funding is designed to help organisations focus on long-term change, not just immediate needs. We support work that helps improve the way decisions are made, how inequality is talked about, and how communities are included and listened to.
By funding organisations working in this way, the Solidarity Fund aims to help communities not only respond to challenges but play a central role in shaping fairer systems for the future. We know that providing vital services and meeting immediate needs is essential. But we also know that communities need time, trust, and support to change the conditions that create those needs. The Solidarity Fund is here to help make that long-term change possible.