Following the London Community Response, funders in London made the commitment to “work together with funders and partners from across sectors through London Funders to develop collaborative funding programmes that invest in London’s communities for the long-term, supporting the recovery and renewal of civil society beyond covid-19”. They also agreed to “to be bold, acting collaboratively on issues that are bigger than any one organisation or sector, experimenting and taking risks so that we can solve problems and deliver impact at scale. We’ll work to share power, to prioritise equity and justice, and to be accountable to each other and the communities we serve”.
These commitments formed the founding principles and focus for Propel – which is made up of 12 funders, five equity infrastructure organisations and now, 131 funded organisations.
Propel funders prioritised applications from organisations led by and for communities experiencing structural inequality and the civil society groups who are best placed to make change happen. Funders wanted to support them to explore, develop and lead collaborative and systemic approaches to tackle some of London’s biggest issues. Almost £45m has now been invested in 131 organisations, with 79% of the grants going to organisations led by and for young people, women and girls, LGBT+ communities, Deaf and Disabled people, and communities experiencing racial inequity.
Funded organisations told funders that in order to deliver this work, they needed flexibility, patience and trust, and for funders to understand that change is complex. For many of the funders involved in Propel, this is a new way of working – the collaboration is asking funders to step outside of their own organisational cultures and commit to doing grant-making differently.
Almost two years since those first grants were made, we’re bringing together the learning that has emerged so far to help inform the next stage of the collaboration and deepen our collective understanding what it takes to both fund change and change funding. This learning report also explores what funded organisations are learning about creating change with and for their communities and what they need from funders to deliver this work.
While challenging at times, this work is exciting – Propel is asking all of us to think outside the box, stretching our appetite for risk and doing things differently. What we’re collectively working towards is a significant shift in funder practice, from creating a single point of entry for funder applications to co-designing application processes and much more.
The decisions and processes underpinning Propel are rooted in the belief that to create change, how we fund is as important as what we fund.
It’s about giving organisations – especially those led by and for communities experiencing injustice – the stability, trust and sustainability to create change.
This learning will help inform the next stage of the collaboration, where organisations will be offered the opportunity to apply for a long-term grant. We hope too that it will inform and inspire change in the funding sector more widely.
The executive summary and the full report is available to read on Propel's website here.
Propel is made up of funders from all sectors (public, corporate and independent), including Bloomberg, City Bridge Foundation, The John Laing Charitable Trust, John Lyon’s Charity, The National Lottery Community Fund, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, The Mercers’ Company, Lloyds Bank Foundation and advice funders coordinated by the London Legal Support Trust. London Funders – the membership body for funders in the capital – is powering the collaboration, building on their experience of co-ordinating large-scale funder collaborations during the pandemic.
Propel is supported by five equity partners who represent a diverse intersection of London’s communities to ensure the collaboration embodies the shared principles at every step of the process. They act as a critical friend, bringing knowledge, guidance and challenge. Propel’s equity partners are HEAR Network, Inclusion London, LGBT+ Consortium, The Ubele Initiative and Women’s Resource Centre. If you are a funder interested in joining the journey of providing long-term grants to organisations in London, please get in touch with London Funders at info@londonfunders.org.uk