What are some of the key areas you fund?
For the last 5 years, we’ve been funding small local charities embedded in their communities in Lambeth and Southwark, with leaders and staff who have lived experience of the challenges experienced by those communities. We award large unrestricted, multi-year grants of around £30,000 a year for three years and have prioritised Black-led charities since 2022. We’re a small funder and have between seven and fourteen funded partners at any one time. Our third round opens in July 2025.
What’s something exciting that you’re currently working on?
Our new 2025-2028 strategy was published last month with a vision to advance equitable funding for Black-led organisations. We’ve now made the deliberate and important decision to direct all our funding to Black-led organisations in Lambeth and Southwark, including CICs for the first time. We’re continuing our trust-based approach but are committed to more transparency and equity and to expanding our offer of support on top of funding. We’ve learnt much more about the barriers and hostile funding environment experienced by Black-led groups and are also committed to make better use our local relationships with funders to find practical ways together of developing more joined-up system of support and opportunity.
What’s one insight you’d like to share with other London Funders members?
We’ve seen the transformative power of awarding unrestricted, multi-year funding to small organisations. It’s effective in ways that are well documented in the sector eg: giving leaders the flexibility to put the client (not funder) first; being able to respond to changes quickly; giving the organisation essential time for thinking and planning. However, our funded partners have also shared the difference this trusting approach has made in ways we didn’t expect - increased confidence of their CEOs/leaders; motivation of staff and boards; reduction in anxiety; saving time and money. Funded partners tell us it feels respectful, honest and empowering.
In a similar way, funded partners have also shared the positive impact of funders acting directly and quickly as a result of learning shared by funded partners - our Board linked multi-year grants to inflation mid-way through the award period, awarded retrospective Cost of Living Grants, made contributions for funded partner time and made an additional year’s grant.
This has been possible by having a strengthened and skilled Board that is values-led and centres learning.
What do you value most about being a part of London Funders?
We value London Funders’ commitment to exploring and share best practice so that the networks, conferences and resources are stimulating, challenging and progressive. At Peter Minet Trust we’ve had several ‘lightbulb’ moments at Funders events (thinking especially of last year’s Festival of Learning Finale with Bayo Adelaja from Do It Now Now and Mohammed Afridi from Civic Power Fund ) that led to an immediate and positive change in our direction. As a small funder with one part-time Director, this network is particularly important.
Looking ahead, share one thing that is on your radar. What should we prioritise as a network of funders?
Our second strategic aim is around collaborating with other funders in Lambeth and Southwark to work towards a more equitable and joined-up system of support for organisations and charities. We’re very aware of our small size in our local ecosystem, but our funded partners say we have a role in using our voice and in helping create spaces so the voices and experience of our funded partners are amplified. We’re keen to learn from other small funders that have worked alongside larger funders and stakeholders in this space.
What’s an issue or area you’d like to discuss with other members (something you;’d like more info about)
We’ve made a commitment to expanding our offer of support to our funded partners on top of funding, in response to learning. We’re interested in how funders of different sizes and budgets who support the same organisations have worked alongside one another to fund and deliver this.
Connect with us about
As a small funder….
- Moving from small one-off grants to unrestricted multi-year giving
- Open and Trusting funding practices
- Learning framework, developed with IVAR
- Board diversity
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.