What are some of the key areas you fund?
We invest in people and organisations through our free and low-cost training, mentoring and media industry volunteer matching programmes. Our work focuses on three key areas.
- Empowering charities: Our innovative and impactful training, together with our ability to match charities with media and creative industry volunteers, supports charities to communicate more effectively, better support their communities and drive social change.
- Advancing Representation: Our training and mentoring programmes break down barriers for under-represented talent by providing them with the skills, confidence and access to thrive in the media and creative industry. We also help our industry partners create inclusive workplaces where all talent can progress their careers.
- Building Partnerships: We connect our industry partners with under-represented talent and charities, creating opportunities for their employees to engage in meaningful skills-based volunteering and mentoring. Our partners see increased employee morale and job satisfaction, while charities benefit from industry expertise and resources they wouldn’t normally be able to access.
Through our media training, we empower people with lived experience to tell their stories, while sharing best practice with media and creative organisations and professionals on inclusive and intersectional storytelling.
What’s something exciting that you’re currently working on?
We’ve just launched our latest digital skills programme: AI Essentials Bootcamp for Talent and Charities. Our charity programme, in partnership with NCVO, helps small charities explore how AI can be used ethically and effectively in their comms. It’s part of a wider priority to ensure charities, particularly those with limited capacity, aren’t left behind in the face of rapid tech developments.
We’re also planning to launch a programme that will strengthen charities’ fact-checking skills, covering reliable data sources, AI-powered tools and effective strategies to counter mis and disinformation.
What’s one insight you’d like to share with other London Funders members?
Communications support is often overlooked but is absolutely critical to a charity’s ability to reach their communities, build trust and advocate for change. We’ve learned after 30 years in the sector that equipping charities with the right tools, language and confidence to tell their stories can unlock new opportunities, funding and engagement.
What do you value most about being part of London Funders?
The space to connect, collaborate and learn from others. We’re a small charity with big ambitions, so we really value the chance to share insights, listen to different perspectives, and explore new ways of working together to support London’s communities.
Looking ahead, what should we prioritise as a network of funders?
Combatting mis- and disinformation. These pose a significant threat to social cohesion, public trust, and the work of the civil society sector. As funders, we must prioritise support for organisations that are equipping communities with the tools to critically navigate information, build media literacy, and challenge harmful narratives. This includes investing in trusted messengers, grassroots storytelling, and transparent, evidence-based communications.
What’s an issue or area you’d like to discuss with other members?
We’re always keen to connect with other funders who are exploring how to strengthen the communications capacity of their grantees. At Media Trust, our Funder Plus offer includes tailored support - from bespoke training and comms audits to impactful, volunteer-led film projects. We’ve seen how the right comms tools can help charities better tell their stories, amplify their impact, and grow their influence.
But we’re also here to listen and learn. We’d love to hear how others are supporting their funded organisations, what’s worked well, and where there’s room for growth. Whether you’re already offering comms support or just starting to explore it, we’d really value the opportunity to share ideas and learn together.
Connect with us about:
- Effective and accessible communications
- Representation in the media
- Capacity building and communications support for grantees
- Supporting small charities
- Skills-based volunteering
- AI and digital tools for the third sector
The Member Spotlight is taken from our monthly member-exclusive newsletter, the Member Memo. The newsletter contains targeted information about upcoming events and updates from across the membership, with opportunities to connect and collaborate with other members. If you are a London Funders' member and would like to sign up, please email ora.ataguba@londonfunders.org.uk.