We’re seeing more funders being explicit in supporting organisations and community groups to tackle the root causes of issues they work on, not just the symptoms. But, as we heard during the Festival, while ‘systems change’ is high on the radar for many funders, it can be hard to know where to start or how to keep going when you get stuck.
Over the years, systems change has been at the heart of London Funders’ collaborative work - we have been working with different funders and civil society groups to test, support and observe what it takes to tackle underlying systemic inequality facing Londoners.
We think that by making the space for learning together with our members and others who are working on systems change we can unpick some of the elements that are making this work feel difficult, messy and complex. By digging deeper into what it takes to fund and support systems change we can gain a better understanding of what actions we need to take – both individually and collectively – to ensure that we’re translating big ambitions of change into tangible and sustained action.
Since the Festival we have hosted learning events; interviewed funders, charities and change makers; and brought together insights from across our membership on what it takes to fund systems change, and to shift our own behaviour and practice to create change in the wider funding system. There has been an incredible depth and breadth of insights – this briefing aims to bring together and make sense of these insights so that we can keep building on the incredible work and learning that is already emerging.
This briefing is not a ‘how to’ guide for systems change – if there is one thing we’ve learnt from the last few months is that there is not one set recipe, framework or method to follow. Systems change is dynamic, contextual and complex – what works for one community, funder or place might not be right for others (we have included a list of resources and methods funders and organisations have used to approach systems change at the end of this briefing).
Instead, we’ve tried to understand more deeply what principles, approaches and processes are needed to fund systems change effectively. In this briefing, we’ve brought together insights, evidence and reflections that explore the following learning questions:
- What are the challenges with funding and supporting systems change initiatives?
- What funding conditions are enabling changes to the systems we work in?
- What approaches have other funders found useful?
While not providing exhaustive answers to these questions, we hope the learning captured here will spark reflection, action, and ideas for those working on or who have the desire to make lasting change for the communities we support.
You can download the briefing here.
