Resourcing Racial Justice is a new initiative launched at speed in order to meet the needs of our community. We are also not a traditional fund, we are mainly interested in redistributing power and resources to the communities where these have been taken from. Please expect this fund and our processes to be a bit different to others you may be familiar with. We'll be updating this page as often as we can. If there is a question that's not here which you would like answered please get in touch at info@resourcingracialjusitice.org
We are a small team but hope to get in touch with you as quickly as possible.
1. How do I apply Applications to the fund are now closed. Successful applicants will be notified in August. Please keep an eye on our newsletter and social media for an update about future funding rounds. (You can
subscribe to our newsletter and we can send you reminders.)
What can we spend the money on?The purpose of the fund is to to provide financial support to organisations, community and grassroots groups that are working to redress the impact of COVID-19 and beyond on those who identify as BPOC (which includes other terms such as BAME, racialised people, black, people of colour BPOC).
We understand that this work can take a variety of forms and structures, and as such we're open and flexible about where the money can be spent as it should be reflective of the needs of your community. However, these projects should meet the following criteria:
- Ideas and projects that present transformational and radical alternatives that will support people of colour creating solutions for change on a systemic level.
- Projects that meet the immediate needs and/or impact of crisis - be it COVID-19 or otherwise for communities of colour
- Projects that meet the immediate needs and/or impact of crisis – be it Covid-19 or otherwise – for communities of colour.
- 'Ecosystem builders' – visionaries that exist between the mainstream and the margins who are working to mobilise connections and resources for the benefit of their communities. This could include: Lived Experience Leaders –BPOC leaders; activists; community leaders; innovators; change-makers working on racial justice.
- Those with an international perspective, seeking to amplify and build relationships with communities in the global south in order to achieve global change.
- We welcome projects connected to faith and spirituality
Do you fund work with the gypsy Roma and traveller community? Yes, we do. The gypsy Roma are an ethnic minority who have been subjected to horrific persecution and discrimination across Europe including the UK.
How much can we apply for?You can apply for grants between 5K to 50K.
Can I apply if I am a UK registered organisation supporting work overseas?This fund is for projects and ideas that work towards racial justice in the UK. Even if you are UK registered we will be looking at where you make an impact. You can apply if your work in the UK builds solidarity with the global south. But you must also have activities and work with communities in the UK.
Can I apply if I am an organisation based outside of the UK?No, our current fund is for projects, organisations and individuals working towards racial justice in the UK. If this changes we will let you know.
Can I make an application on behalf of multiple organisations?Yes, we welcome applications from collectives or multiple organisations. Please make the lead contact clear. Collaborations between organisations and groups are very welcome. We encourage organisations to have a conversation around power dynamics and ways to undo oppression among your groups. It would be a good idea to explain what conclusions you made.
Can a person apply both as an individual, and again as an organisation for the same/or different project?Yes, you can make multiple applications.
What is required to make an application for funding?
- For the 5k-30k investments please submit no more than two sides of A4 or an 8-minute video
- For 30k-50k investment please submit no more than three sides of A4 or an 11-minute video.
What is the page limit for applications? Does 2 A4 pages mean 4 sides?
We will not be printing out applications.
- 2 A4 pages mean 2 sides of A4.
- 3 A4 pages mean 3 sides of A4.
Please do not send applications longer than this.
Can I submit a combination of a video and written application?
We cannot accept applications which are a combination of video and a written document. You should only use one medium to submit your application. What medium should I use to submit my video application?For your application you should send us a link to a video you have uploaded onto a medium such as Youtube or Vimeo. Please check your privacy settings and make sure to share any passwords to view your video with us. Due to the time limit constraint with WeTransfer and the large volume of applications we receive there is no guarantee we will be able to download your application in time so please do not use this method.
How many years does funding cover and do you cover multi year project funding?We are trying to create a funding model that centers the needs of people and communities. However we have a limited pot of funding to redistribute this time. We can only grant a one off maximum payment of 50K. If you have a long timeframe for the funding e.g. over a year, let us know and we can consider if this is something we can manage. We are working to establish a long term strategy to collaborate with people and organisations, we hope to let you know about those plans as soon as we can.
Are you city based or will you fund and support work in rural areas?We are not city based. We are looking to redistribute resources to people and organisations across the UK. In fact, we would like to give priority to areas that are overlooked by traditional funding opportunities.
Will funding be unrestricted or should it be focussed on a specific projectIn traditional funding language, the investments we are offering are unrestricted, applicants can choose how they would like to spend their funding based on their needs and visions. We will develop a reporting system with you when your grant is awarded. We will work with you to outline how you will spend funds in your grant agreements and what the reporting will look like on a case by case basis. If you decide you need to use the funding differently due to changing circumstances we will let you know how you can let us know about this and how this will be managed.
Can we buy premises/land with the funding?We would be very happy to invest in land ownership. However, we understand the investments we are offering may not be enough for such a purpose, so we are open to matching funds to make it possible.
Can we buy premises/ land in other countries with the funding?This fund is for UK based projects and work so we will probably not support the buying of premises in other countries.
Would the fund come with strings that would endanger undocumented people?No, the investments we are offering do not come with any strings attached. For example; the evaluation and reporting processes we are setting up will not require applicants to provide any information about the people they support. We are creating a funding model that operates from a place of trust and liberation.
Some people don't have experience applying for funding and don't know the language of writing applications - how will you support them?We would like people and organisations to submit applications using the language they normally use to describe their work. If you don't feel comfortable writing or if this is inaccessible to you, you can also send a video that covers the points we listed
here.
Who is assessing the applications?There will be two stages to the decision making process this time around. Coalition members will go through all applications to make sure the ones we received comply with our criteria which you can see on the application guidance sheets and to choose what applications go on to the second stage. We will ensure that the shortlist reflects different geographies around the UK, a mix of different sectors and approaches, and people and groups working at the intersections of oppression. For the second stage, an external panel of experts on racial justice will meet to make decisions. The full list of names for this panel will be shared soon.
What happens if you're not successful - how will you support unsuccessful applicants?Given the attendance of our webinar and people who have been getting in touch with us over email we are expecting thousands of applications for funding. We are also aware that many people and organisations will not get funding this time around. We are putting together a resource list of funders that can be approached if we can't support you this time. We are looking at ways we can mobilise more money to those that have applied so that we can make more investments quickly. We will also be working on a long term strategy to make sure we can redistribute more resources and power. More information on this will be shared soon.
Can we help add value to RRJ by providing our expertise?We are in the process of defining a participatory funding model that will invite people and organisations to be part of the decision making and strategic direction of the fund. More details about this will be shared before the second round of funding.
Will there be transparency on where the funding goes?
Yes, we aim to share as much information as possible about people and organisations we have been able to support in this first round. This is dependent on people and organisations's consent.
How will the funding be shared across the categories? Our fund has been created to support those that often do not have access to funding. This may mean we award more investments in the 5-30k awards so that we can ensure our first wave goes further and responds to urgent need. However we will also look at how many applications we receive for each category and also use this to decide how we distribute funding.
What tangible change do you want to see as a result of the fund?
We understand change takes time. What we would like to see is black and brown communities being supported to unlock their full potential and for the wider racial justice movement to be resourced in order to dismantle structural inequalities.
Can contributions be used to pay for an individual's living expenses (food, rent etc.)? Yes, individuals can apply for their living expenses and material needs. We're working on a restorative and reparative model of funding, where people's daily and material needs are just as important as the work they do, and so people are able to apply for their living expenses. For an organisation, we support resourcing core needs to cover the basic running costs of your organisation
You don't ask for a breakdown of costs- will you be looking for this and in what detail do you want to know about where the funding will be spent? We are interested in knowing how our investment would support you or your organisation in achieving racial justice. At this stage we only need to know how much money you are applying for but if you want to give us more detail to understand your vision please do this. If you are awarded funding we will work with you to understand your budget which will be outlined in your grant agreement and how we will manage the grant. If due to circumstance you need to change how you use the funding, we will let you know the processes for letting us know about this.
What will you do if there is money left over after the crisis point has passed?We know communities of colour have been struggling with crises for a long time. This fund was created to resource our communities and movements so that we can achieve racial justice. We are committed to achieving that mission after the COVID19 too, that means that any money left over will be carried over to redistribute a second wave of funding.
Can white led organisations apply?This fund is aimed at individuals, groups and organisations working to achieve racial justice; we know that many white people are also committed to achieving this. Therefore, we welcome applications from organisations who can demonstrate how their leadership is helping them to achieve their aims of racial justice.
2. Who is behind Resourcing Racial Justice?The Resourcing Racial Justice fund is a coalition of people of colour (POC) innovators, change-makers, activists, artists and social leaders dedicated to social change. Together, we have established a new UK wide-funding pool to support individuals and communities working towards racial justice. You can see the coalition
here.
Who is Thirty Percy?Thirty Percy is a new, dynamic and innovative family foundation. Their purpose is to contribute to the future security and wellbeing of our world and they aim to do this in ways that are imaginative, collaborative and unexpected. They are the first funder to donate to our fund and this money will be used for the first wave of funding, where we aim to redistribute around £500,000.
Do funders have decision-making power?
Funders do not have decision making powers over the allocation of the fund.
What is a pooled redistributive investment fund?Money can come from individual donors, selected institutional funders with a commitment to doing racial justice work, or anyone who would like to give to the Fund through our
JustGiving page.
3. Other EnquiriesI'm a journalist and would like to talk to you about what you are doing, who should I contact?Please contact us info@resourcingracialjusitice.org
I am a philanthropist, from a trust or foundation, or local authority wanting to support this support, how can I help?Contact: info@resourcingracialjustice.org
Funders do not have decision making powers over the allocation of the fund.Data StorageWhat happens to the data open collective gathers? Is it stored securely and would it ever be supplied to a third party agency (eg. immigration authorities)?Resourcing Racial Justice is GDPR compliant and stores data in a secure way. You can find their privacy policies
here.