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The Possible not the Perfect

London Funders commissioned IVAR to look at key features and aspects of a range of funders’ grant-making responses to the Grenfell Tower fire, the London Bridge and Borough Market attacks and the Manchester Arena bomb. We found that across a number of the collaborative funds set up in response to the emergencies, funders stepped outside their normal practices in a range of different ways. 

The big numbers

6

Funding streams

100+

Community organisations interviewed

5

Ways in which funders worked differently

In response to three different emergencies during Summer 2017 (the Manchester Arena bomb on 22 May, the attacks in London Bridge and Borough Market on 3 June, and the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June) funders dispensed with ‘business as usual’ in order to provide urgent support to community organisations and services.

'The Possible not the Perfect' looks at what they did differently; what we can learn about responding effectively in an emergency; and what opportunities there may be for day-to-day grant-making practices.

No-one knows how to do this: the only shield is to be genuinely doing the best we can – and constantly listening and learning so we can do better

The report is a call to action to everyone in the funding community. It shows us how we can be more effective – building from the experiences and insights of funders who stepped up in times of crisis to inform recommendations that we can implement now.

The six emergency funds have shown what is possible when people are given the power to shape funding processes. It highlights how funders responded in times of crisis, drawing on the experience of people involved from all sectors of the funding community. It recommends how we can challenge ourselves to improve ways of working – to respond effectively not just to emergency events, but to tackle the crises facing communities every day.

Click here to read the full report. 

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