Over the next three years, we are committed to making positive change by working towards our three strategic aims. Our strategic aims are underpinned by our people, our governance and our operations. We will continue to strengthen and work towards embedding equity in all we do.
1. Our grantmaking - enhance accessibility, fairness, and impact of our funding
We will continue to develop an inclusive and transparent grantmaking process that builds trust and meaningful partnerships with Black-led organisations. We will create space for collaboration between our funded partners so learning is shared, partners' voices are amplified and their impact in Lambeth and Southwark is seen.
Over next 3 years we will:
Commit to transparency and equity
- Make our eligibility criteria easy to understand
- Offer support to potential applicants where needed to prepare their applications
- Embed a fair and open process to make funding decisions
- Be clear about funds available and our capacity as a funder
- Invest in better digital tools for grant management, relationship-building and communications
Develop our core funding offer
- Offer unrestricted multi-year funding for CICs Limited by Guarantee as well as charities working predominantly in Lambeth and Southwark through our Open Fund with new funding rounds in 2025 and 2027 - around seven new partnerships in each funding round
- Continue to make time to meet and get to know funded partners in person and to be flexible and responsive
- Continue to adapt our funding model, grounding our approach in the learning and lived experience of Black-led organisations including our funded partners, alumni and other local groups.
- Plan our funding rounds and relationships in five-year cycles from the application stage to the three-year funding stage to the year after our funding, considering what wider support is needed for partners
Expand our offer of support to funded partners
- Facilitate networking opportunities between existing and former funded partners and with local policymakers and funders
- In response to needs of funded partners, signpost to training, opportunities or support that might help build financial resilience on a case-by-case basis
- Celebrate the success and impact of our partners
Centre learning and accountability
- Embed a respectful and safe feedback loop to capture and share learning from our partners
- Review and refresh our learning framework each year to improve how we work and how we share the difference made by the work of our funded partners
- Commit time to understand systems of oppression experienced by our funded partners
- Commit time to learn more about the key causes and solutions of climate change
- Consider how to support our current and future funded partners to face the challenges of climate change including addressing the physical costs of climate events as a result of climate change, and the transition costs if decarbonisation does not happen in a fair and just way.
2. Our work with others in Lambeth and Southwark - strengthen the local ecosystem of support
We will work with funders and agencies and local communities to better understand the barriers and challenges faced by Black-led groups in securing funding, support and agency in Lambeth and Southwark. We will instigate ways of responding collaboratively to develop a more equitable and joined-up system of support and opportunity.
Over next 3 years we will:
- Share our knowledge and understanding to bring people together
- Create space so the voices, learning and experience of our funded partners and alumni are amplified
- Agree a clear decision-making process for when to contribute time and money to partnerships, ensuring our ambitions match capacity
- Ring-fence a Strategic Fund for collaboration work
- Collaborate with other local funders and agencies to create more equitable and accessible funding and support for Black-led groups and charities; this includes continuing exploratory work with Impact on Urban Health, United St Saviour’s Charity and Walcot Foundation to explore a cross-borough collaboration, as well as on-going work with Community Southwark.
- Explore with other local funders and agencies how funded partners can have a seat at decision-making tables in Lambeth and Southwark in the context of influencing and policy engagement
- Explore opportunities for increasing income in the local ecosystem through partnerships or co-funding initiatives in Lambeth and Southwark
- Explore and facilitate mentoring opportunities between funded partners and other local groups
- Advocate for transparency, equity and fairness when working with other funders, agencies and partners
3. Our investment policy - strengthen financial stewardship and resilience for sustainable impact
We will balance responsible investment management and financial control with continuing to support partners effectively whilst exploring opportunities for financial capacity building.
Over the next 3 years we will:
Be more transparent about our investments
- Publish our investment strategy, values and beliefs
- Share information on the difference our investments and engagement are making
- Better understand the origins of the financial assets we hold and invest
Be a responsible investor
- Hold our investment managers to account and monitor the performance of our funds
- Monitor whether our investments take account of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks, in line with our investment policy and beliefs
- Increase our participation in engagement activity with our investment managers
- Ensure our investment managers understand and respect our organisational values
- Maximise our influence as an asset owner in supporting and enabling a just transition to a post carbon society
Keep our funding model and time-horizon under review
- Understand opportunities for increasing our funds including fundraising, asset transfer and grant matching by external funders, and assess their feasibility within the context of the Trust's principles and operations
- Analyse our model used for allocating funds for grants and activities in response to new learning and investment performance, and agree a medium-long term strategy