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What are some of the key areas you fund?
We want everyone in Richmond to have opportunities to build healthy, fulfilling lives. Our work prioritises four key areas: accessing support and advice, reducing inequalities in education, improving health outcomes, and enhancing community cohesion. At the core of everything we do is a commitment to strengthening the local voluntary and community sector and drive lasting change.
Last year, our combined direct and indirect financial impact was £3.7m. This is made up of £2.5m in grants awarded to individuals and 72 funded partners. Additionally, we supported our charitable housing and commercial properties by offering rent subsidies.
What’s something exciting that you’re currently working on?
We’re excited to introduce our new identity as Richmond Foundation. Launching our new brand is a significant milestone that comes after a comprehensive strategic review. Our refreshed communications strategy embodies our values and prioritises collaboration with our partners to create engaging and impactful content. Through our new website and social media channels, we’re increasing access to our funding, celebrating the strength of our partnerships, and sharing innovative approaches to achieving community impact. With updated tools and channels we are able to showcase our agility in responding to changing needs and set ambitious goals for the future.
As part of this transformation, we premiered Building Healthy and Fulfilling Lives, a film showcasing the incredible work of four partner organisations. We’re also continuing to release additional films co-created with even more of our partners across our platforms. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with partners acknowledging our efforts to go beyond grant funding by advocating for them, amplifying their voices, and enhancing access to their work. By continuing to co-create content with our partners, we’re building a more connected, modern, and impactful organisation.
Our strategic review took a structured and consultative approach, leading to a refreshed vision, mission and set of values. We’ve also embraced a new approach to grant making, moving from reactive to proactive, collaborative, and long-term funding.
What’s one piece of learning that you’d like to share with other London Funders’ members?
Investing in communications has been a transformative step for us. By modernising our approach, we’ve improved access to funding, strengthened our partnerships, and expanded our vision of what it means to be a funder. Effective communication helps us stay responsive, foster collaboration, and advocate for systemic change. This investment allows us to amplify the impact of our funding and create meaningful, long-term change in the communities we serve.
What do you value most about being a part of London Funders?
Being part of London Funders is invaluable in connecting us to a diverse and dynamic community of funders. It’s provided us with a platform to exchange insights, learn from others, and strengthen our local impact.
We deeply value the opportunity to collaborate beyond our locality and gain a broader understanding of the funding landscape across London. Being part of this network helps us to stay informed about emerging challenges and innovative approaches, ensuring we can adapt and respond effectively. Most importantly, it reinforces our commitment to collective action, allowing us to work alongside other funders to drive systemic change for the communities we serve.
Looking ahead, share one thing that is on your radar. What should we prioritise as a network of funders?
One of our key focuses is ensuring the voices of those we support are truly heard and reflected in how we fund. As funders, it’s important to reflect on data and strategy, but we’ve learned the value of directly consulting with communities to understand their lived experiences and increase our understanding beyond the data.
Right now, we’re working on our first large Partnership Grant to tackle the educational attainment gap for disadvantaged children and young people. By consulting directly with schools and voluntary organisations, we’re identifying where our funding can make the biggest difference. As a network, we should prioritise embedding user voices into our decision-making processes. Creating space for these conversations ensures our funding aligns with real community needs.
What’s an issue or area you’d like to discuss with other members?
We’re currently focused on improving how we monitor and integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into our work. Partnering with The Social Investment Consultancy, we are evaluating our practices, developing a comprehensive DEI policy, and strengthening our organisation as both a funder and an employer.
London Funders has provided helpful recommendations and we’re eager to learn more from others who have successfully embedded DEI into their strategies and day-to-day operations.
Connect with us about:
- Strategic Review
- Rebranding and Identity
- Communications Strategy
- Partnership working
- Grant giving processes and assessment
You can connect with us across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn - @WeAreRichmondFoundation
And visit our new website: www.richmondfoundation.org.uk
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.
