Rosalind Williams, our Project Funding Manager discusses a recent report from the CSJ Foundation exploring funding barriers for small charities.
At the Neumark Foundation, we are acutely aware of the small grass roots charities, operating locally that are creating impactful change in their communities but often face barriers and challenges in accessing grants and funding.
We welcomed the findings of a recent report by The Centre for Social Justice Foundation. In “Underfunded and Overlooked”.
Read the full report here
Their research suggests that that small, local charities understand local communities better than larger organisations, such as central government or larger, national charities and that grassroots organisations are the ‘glue’ that holds communities together. They were essential pre-pandemic, and arguably post-pandemic the need for them has grown further. But the issues that small charities were grappling with pre-pandemic have been magnified through lockdowns and emerging into a changed social landscape. A common message is that public services are retreating, and local charities are being asked to fill the gap. But funding and other opportunities are not increasing to meet this demand.
At The Neumark Foundation, we firmly believe in the impact of supporting smaller charities, operating at the heart of their communities, where there is tangible and substantial impact at point of need. We support the conversation that asks, how do we find a better balance between ensuring value for money and creating impactful opportunities, for those at the heart of their communities. How do we support and enable, at point of need, with as few barriers as possible, maintaining good governance and accountability. How can we making funding small charities fairer and more accessible.
Much can be done to improve the way philanthropic investments and private donations work, for both donors and charities. Philanthropists and people seeking to donate, are often unaware of the most effective grassroots organisations (sometimes right on their doorstep) and so are not in a position to invest in high impact grassroots poverty-fighting organisations.
The CSJ Foundation is fortunate to work with over 700 such outstanding poverty-fighting charities and social enterprises with a proven track record of supporting the most disadvantaged. These charities say that that they have the feeling of one arm (or both arms) tied behind their back, due in no small part to the current imbalanced nature of the funding landscape. When it comes to funding, 85 per cent of all charitable income in England and Wales goes to just 4 per cent of registered charities.
Large charities dominate public contracts where we see an over-reliance on charities with a national reach, who can consistently franchise into new communities and are first in line for public funding regardless of track record of local impact.
At The Neumark Foundation we are mindful of our ability to impact and influence conversations at local and national level and we welcome the report of The CSJ Foundation, that opens up opportunities, for meaningful conversations, to explore how we make sure that our charitable landscapes are serving our communities in an open and accessible way.
If you are a small charity in North Wales, demonstrating a long-lasting positive effect on the welfare and quality of life of children and young people, and you improve prospects and life choices for those who are socially disadvantaged, and you inspire children and young people to grasp new opportunities, build confidence and raise aspirations, then you may share our values. If you think we may be able to help your charity, let’s have a conversation. Our funding criteria can be found on our website.